The Path of the Jedi
by Exocet
Summary: Right after the collapse of the Republic, Bail Organa saw younglings being taken down by Stormtroopers while trying to escape the Jedi Temple. What if one of them had succeeded ? This story follows Bail's attempt to save what can still be saved, mostly through the eyes of a Jedi youngling.
1. On the Run

**A/N : **This is one project that I just had to write, and that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm not too displeased with the result and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you have a moment to spare to write a quick review, I'd be ever so grateful.

Also please keep in mind I don't have a beta. If you want to volunteer, please do !

**CHAPTER 1 : On the Run**

* * *

Head bowed low to avoid any blaster fire Bail Organa accelerated, only narrowly avoiding a crash with several airspeeders in front of him. Ignoring the indignated shouts that came after him in a half-dozen languages he blinked away his tears, not all of them due to the wind. They killed the two younglings, right in front of him. Two children, dead, just like that, for no reason other than they were Jedi. He tried to control his helpless rage, but it almost blinded him. Even if you considered the Jedi a danger, they were just kids ! All Palpatine had to do was cast them out, or train them as his own - at worst emprison them. Not kill them ! It went against everything he believed in, everything he had fought for. How had this happened ? How had things spiralled down, when had they wandered off the path of justice without anyone noticing ?

Bail took a deep breath and slowed his airspeeder down. Cautiously, he looked over his shoulder. No fire had come after him, and they did not seem to be following him either... so his diplomatic immunity still had some value. Good. Not that it would stop Palpatine if he became too much of an obstacle, Bail had no illusions on that count. For that matter he may still be arrested today or tomorrow. No, he needed to play his cards carefully, protect what was still salvageable.

And Obi-Wan, Master Yoda... Bail bit his lower lip. He felt an icy dread in his chest when he thought of them and all of his Jedi friends and acquaintances. Were they all dead ? He could not believe it. Certainly not all of them. They were Jedi ! How could they not see this coming ?!

Still shocked and dazed, Bail realized that he had flown ahead without a thought to his destination. He had to go to the Senate, see what was going on. Palpatine would certainly make some kind of public announcement. Maybe the toppling of the government could still be avoided if the Senate stood united against him...

...or he would just have anyone who opposed him killed. They would quickly fall in line if he did - and the scary thought was, he did have that power. They had given it to him themselves.

_Maybe we do have the leaders we deserve._

Bail shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind and veered off sharply to the right to head to the Senate. He could be there within half-an-hour if he was fast.

At that very moment he heard a slight sound behind him and his airspeeder rocked slightly. And then something cold was pressed to his head and he heard a threatening voice.

"You will do as I say, or I will have to hurt you."

Taken completely by susprise Bail froze, then risked a glance to his side. He could not see his agressor's face without turning his head, and he was not eager to risk it - whoever it was seemed awfully jumpy. More surprisingly, it was a very young voice, a child's almost certainly.

... a child...

Bail squinted painfully to his right to make out the shape of the object pressed against his head. It did look like a...

"Stop fidgeting !" The kid's voice was slightly panicked, maybe because he was thinking of what would happen if Bail disregarded his injonctions and he had to make a choice whether to kill him.

"You're a youngling", Bail said with certainty. "From the Temple." He blinked. "How in the blazes did you manage to sneak on my airspeeder without the troopers noticing ?"

"I came from the level below", the boy said - he was clearly used to answering adult's questions immediately and without pause. "I was able to force-jump under your speeder and hold there. The troopers were too busy shooting Zett... they did not pay attention."

"Impressive", Bail said with sincere admiration, then thought belatedly that it might not be the best sentiment to express when the kid just mentioned a fellow youngling's death.

"Look", the kid said after an awkward pause, "I don't want to hurt you. Just drop me off where I tell you and then you can go your own way."

"I want to help you", Bail said quickly. No way he was letting a Jedi youngling fend for himself in Coruscant with no money and looks as recognizable as a wookie in a crowd of sullustans.

"If you want to help then do what I said", the kid said.

"If I do that you'll get killed before tomorrow", Bail said with dark certainty. He went on hurriedly before the kid had time to protest that he could take care of himself. "Listen, I know you're a Jedi and you're pretty good at it, too, considering you managed to escape with your life." A little flattery could not hurt. "But you're alone, without money, with only a lightsaber for a weapon - and the moment you use it you will be recognized. Add to that the fact that you're a minor so you can't get a job, at least not legally. And with your clothes you'll be recognized at first glance. Please let me help you - I can hide you as long as necessary. I can protect you."

Even as he spoke Bail prayed that the future not prove him wrong. A little part of him wondered in panic what he was doing - he was not even sure to survive the next few days and now he was dragging this kid with him ?

Then again, it would always be more of a chance than the kid would have on his own.

He seemed to waver, as much as Bail could tell. Throughout the discussion he had not been able to see the kid's face, in part because of the very real threat of his lightsaber on Bail's head and in part because he was piloting his airspeeder and had to see where he was going. Now he pulled out of the traffic and found a quiet place between two buildings to stop temporarily, then he turned back to look at the youngling, reasonably certain now that he could do so safely. The kid recoiled slightly but kept his saber at a threatening angle. At least now Bail could see him ; he was human, at least in appearance, perhaps ten to twelve years of age, with longish dark hair and the telling Padawan braid behind his ear. His sharp, stern features - too stern for a child - were illuminated by very light blue eyes, above a pointed nose. Dried blood matted his hair where a blaster bolt only nearly missed him, and Bail winced slightly in sympathy - it must be painful.

"I'm Bail Organa", he said. "You must have heard my name before. You know I'm a friend of the Jedi."

The boy started at that information, then looked closely at Bail's face. His face twitched as he pondered that development. "Do you have an identification ?" He tried to sound sure of himself but his wavering voice gave him away. No wonder - despite his training he was essentially just a kid. Not ready for war yet.

Not that anyone was ever truly ready for that.

"Yes, I do. I'm going to show it to you now, all right ?"

The boy's eyes narrowed in suspicion and his eyes fell on the blaster that was tucked in the box in front of the passenger's seat. It was a snudge too far for Bail to grab it even if he lunged for it, but the boy extended his hand and the blaster floated to him. "Go ahead."

Now the boy was aiming at Bail with both his saber and the blaster, which Bail found to be a bit much but understandable under the circumstances. Steadily and carefully, he put one hand in his pocket to withdraw his wallet from which he took his diplomatic card, a thin piece of filmplast that displayed his name under his photograph and accreditations with the stamp of the Senate and the Chancellor's signature. The boy relaxed marginally when he saw it and ascertained that Bail was, most likely, who he said he was.

"You're friends with Master Kenobi and Master Yoda."

It was more a statement than a question, but Bail answered all the same. "Yes, I am."

"Have you... before the... did you..." the boy fumbled for words.

"I talked to them, they were going to the Temple to stop the broadcast of the signal recalling the Jedi to Coruscant. To warn them to stay away and hide."

"Oh... then they're in the Temple ? Now ?! We have to go and get them !"

"No", Bail said in a definite tone of voice. "For starters, I have no way to tell them where to meet me, and the Temple will be watched. Going there would put them in more danger and it wouldn't help them at all. They will contact me when they make it out of the Temple."

The boy opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it and, deflated, looked down.

"Master Kenobi and Master Yoda are very strong, you know", Bail said gently. "Don't worry about them. They've beaten worse odds."

"I guess..."

"Listen - " Bail realized belatedly that he did not even know the boy's name yet. "Do you trust me, now ?"

The boy bit his lips as he eyed Bail and then warily nodded. Bail could see the reservations in his countenance but grudging trust would do for now.

"Alright then. Will you let me help you ?"

The boy must have realized he really did not have much of a choice for he nodded after only a short hesitation. Bail relaxed ; maybe he would be able to do one thing right today, after all. "Good. There's no time to waste. Sit on the passenger's seat, will you ?"

Shedding the last of his hesitation and fear, the boy complied, although he still held on to the blaster.

"Put the blaster away", Bail said. "I don't want the police arresting us and they might if they see a minor with a weapon."

Now that he had finally decided to trust him, the boy obeyed promptly.

"Hide your lightsaber, and... Bail eyed the boy critically. He was still too recognizable. He undid the clasp of his cloak and handed it to the boy. "Put that on, it'll hide your Jedi uniform. And keep your braid tucked under your shirt." They were going to have to cut that braid as soon as they had a pair of scissors in hand. And get rid of the saber too, except that would not go over well with the boy...

The boy struggled with the cloak for a few seconds before he managed to wrap it around him in a way that did not look too ridiculous, and vaguely resembled a failed attempt to be fashionable. It also made him look much younger and helpless. Bail nodded in approval. "Good. And fasten your seatbelt", he added as in an afterthought.

The boy rolled his eyes - obviously, after what he had been through, he did not find traffic to be his main cause of worry - but he obeyed without protest. Thank heavens Jedi trainees were usually polite and well-behaved. Bail could think of a few Senator's children who would be whining and crying and yelling and throwing temper tantrums, by now. Unless the boy was merely shocked into obedience by what he had just been through.

"What's your name ?" Bail asked as he disengaged the airspeeder from its safe spot and reentered traffic. He glanced at the boy when an answer was not forthcoming. "I already know you're a Jedi", he reminded him. "So it's not like it'll make much of a difference, right ?"

The boy mulled that over. "Neeka", he said finally. "Neeka Kurian."

Bail smiled. "Nice to meet you, Neeka."

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance as well, Senator Organa."

Bail bit his lips not to laugh at the overly formal tone. Neeka sounded like he was reciting word for word what he had learnt in Protocol class - which was probably the case.

"Since we're stuck together in this, I think you can call me Bail. Or just "sir" if you prefer." Bail always had had a soft spot for children, even more so after his and Breha's failed attempts at starting a family of their own.

"Thank you, sir", Neeka mumbled awkwardly.

The sound of an explosion, followed by a blaze of orange light, made them look up sharply. From where they were flying, relatively high in the sky, they had a perfect view on the origine of the blast.

"The Temple", Neeka said. His voice broke, as he watched his home go up in flames.

Bail hesitated, then lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. He dared not presume more than that. He could see Neeka's tense jaw in the semi-darkness of the Coruscanti evening, and his livid face that took an otherworldly quality in the flickering lights of traffic and holo-adds. The boy angrily wiped his eyes, startling Bail who had not noticed the tears.

"I'm sorry", Bail said quietly.

The boy shrugged in an attempt to dismiss his own helpless anger and distress. "Not your fault." He bared his teeth and sniffled, all tears and rage. "I'll grow up to be a Jedi and then I'll kill them all." His voice was thick with unshed tears. Bail wondered if the hollow threat was really something a future Jedi should be saying but he did not have it in him to rebuke the child. His home and friends had just been destroyed in front of him, his whole life crushed. Let him mourn, let him reach acceptance on his own. There would be time later for talks of justice and revenge and the right path.

There was nothing to be gained by staring. Bail restarted his airspeeder - he was not the only one to have stopped, he noticed, many onlookers had as well, and he had to zig-zag through them to leave the area.

All this called for a change of plans. There could be no questions of going to the Senate with Neeka in tow - but he did have to go. Well, first things first. He'd go back to his quarters, make sure Breha was fine - along with the rest of his household - and drop the boy off in their care. Then he would go to the Senate and do what he could. Bail frowned slightly, pondering the matter. Would it be better to send Breha back with Neeka and an escort ? Or keep her here near him, where he would have a chance to protect her ? He did need to get Neeka off-planet if he could, before the Imperials had time to check the records and verify the body counts. The burning of the Temple, horrible though it was to witness, may be useful in this regard. They would definitely have more than a few unidentified bodies to deal with and DNA analysis would take at least a few days to add it all up. Yes, he should take advantage of that time and get Neeka to safety. No doubt they could foster him on Alderaan... well, he was getting ahead of himself.

"Where are we going ?" Neeka asked. He still sounded like he was about to cry.

"To my home", Bail said reassuringly. "You'll be safe there."

"But..." Neeka's voice faltered. "They saw you at the Temple, didn't they ? How do you know they won't be at your house ? They might want to arrest you..."

For once Bail wished Jedi trainees were not quite so quick on the uptake. "Well, they might but I very much doubt it", he said in his most reasonable voice. "I am a Senator, you know, so I have diplomatic immunity. Technically I did nothing illegal. It's not forbidden to stop at the Jedi Temple, and they don't know you're with me. I don't think they would want to cause an uproar by arresting me for no reason."

"But they could think of a reason. Or make up one."

"They could", Bail allowed. "But why would they bother ? They have more urgent things to do. Going after me just wouldn't be worth it. It would gain them a lot of ill-will and very little advantage." It would make a lot more sense for them to put pressure on him with threats of emprisonment to manipulate him into supporting Palpatine's overthrow, but Neeka did not need to know that.

"Oh. I guess you're right."

"I hope I am, or you and I are in a lot of trouble", Bail said with forced humour.

Neeka rewarded his effort with a shy, wavering smile, then frowned again and looked at Bail from the corner of his eyes. "Me being with you, it puts you in danger, doesn't it ?"

Bail shrugged offhandedly. "I'm in danger just for being friends with Masters Yoda and Kenobi, so that doesn't really change much." A good thing being a Senator had trained him to lie well and think fast, because saving Neeka did, in fact, put him in tremendous amounts of danger. And while Bail was ready to put his own life on the line he did hesitate to risk Breha's life as well.

They flew all the way to Bail's quarters without being stopped, but that was hardly surprising. The city was in chaos. On the way they saw at least two or three firefighter units. When Bail flicked on the radio it reported several fires - it seemed to have spread from the Jedi Temple - and there seemed to have been a commotion in other parts of the city when they had tried to kill several Jedi. Bail hoped dearly they had managed to escape, although the news reporter was silent on that point.

He was relieved to find the familiar shape of the luxurious building where he had his quarters. It seemed intact and everything was fairly quiet around it, but Bail's heart still beat a little too fast when he brough his airspeeder to a halt on the landing strip attached to his flat. His worries were soon put to rest however, because the instant he jumped down he saw his wife running to him from the balcony. Bail let out a sigh of relief as he opened his arms and they embraced tightly.

"I was so worried... thank heavens you're safe", she whispered in his ear, without letting go of him.

"Me too", he murmured in reply. "I was terrified they might come here." They finally separated and he grasped her arms. "Breha, they still might. Palpatine's coup is a success so far. We have to be ready for whatever is to come."

"I know. They won't find a single suspicious item in the flat. I checked."

Bail nodded. "I hadn't thought of that. Good."

"Bail, are we going back to Alderaan ? Or staying ?"

"I was thinking of that - I think you should go."

"I was thinking we might stay", she said calmly.

He stared at her, aghast, but quickly recovered. Breha was not a fool. "Why ?"

"Listen, if we go it'll give free reign to Palpatine for groundless accusations. If we stay, it'll make it harder for him. Also, Alderaan needs to be represented. That's why we're here in the first place, so that Alderaan can make its stand for democracy. And besides, do you really think that leaving would protect us ? It doesn't matter if we're on Coruscant or Alderaan. Palpatine just overthrew the government and murdered the Jedi, what's two more murders to him ?"

"If we retreat to Alderaan he might consider us less of a threat." Bail sighed. Why was he running from the facts ? Then again, it was hard to face that sort of unpleasant facts. "No, I know, you're right. It would also cut us off from our friends and anyone who might support us."

Breha sighed and snuggled against him. "I've had time to think about it while you were out there. I don't like it either, but we can't run while the Republic crumbles around us. We'd be swallowed up in the debris anyway."

"Breha, it's clearly my duty to stay, but I was hoping you'd agree to go. There's no sense in risking both our lives."

"Oh, Bail..." She brought her arm up around his shoulder. "For better or for worse, do you remember ? In health, and in sickness..."

"Breha..."

"I know the risks, Bail. And I don't enjoy it. But if we wait until it's safe to be together, I fear we'll never see each other again." She embraced him again and lay her chin on his shoulder. "I don't want to grow old alone", she whispered in his ear.

Bail closed his eyes and swallowed back his fears. Breha had the right to make this choice, and as much as he hated to see her in danger, he would feel better having her by his side. But there was another angle to the matter.

"There is another reason why I wanted you to go", he said. It was only half a lie. He lowered his voice. "I was at the Jedi Temple earlier, Breha."

"I saw it on the news." She shuddered in his arms. "How dreadful... Are they all dead ? The Jedi ?"

"Not all." Bail looked up at Neeka who had remained surprisingly quiet in the airspeeder while they talked. He seemed to be holding something under Bail's cloak - his lightsaber, presumably. "Come down", Bail called softly to him.

Lithe as a cat, Neeka slid down the side of the airspeeder until his feet hit the ground. Now that he was standing he really looked ridiculous with Bail's cloak draped over him like a toga. Kinda cute, too.

The only thing that betrayed Breha's surprise was her sharp intake of breath, but she quickly recovered. She was used to the media and to the game of appearances, and few things could really throw her off. "Hello, young man", she said softly. Like Bail, she had a soft spot for children.

Neeka bowed, eyes cast down. "Greetings, Your Highness."

"Oh, surely there's no need for such formality, is there ?" Breha knelt to be approximately at Neeka's height. "My name is Breha. Or you can call me Lady Organa if you prefer."

He was looking stubbornly at his feet. "Thank you, your Highness", he said in a low voice.

Breha looked over him at Bail and mouthed a few words. _Is he a..._ she pointed discreetly at the boy. Bail nodded emphatically. Oh yes, he was. Breha grimaced slightly, fully cognizant of the numerous problems this would raise.

"And you, what's your name ?" Breha probed gently.

"It's Neeka", Bail volunteered. "Neeka Kurian."

"Oh, that's a lovely name !"

The boy finally stop pretending his feet were so fascinating and looked up at her, a look of vague surprise on his face at the inanity of the comment. "Er, thank you ma'am", he managed to say politely.

"We should get you inside, it's getting a little chilly out there." Breha tightened the scarf around her shoulders.

"I can't stay", Bail announced. He saw Breha bite her lips and thought she would object, but she merely nodded.

"To the Senate ?"

"Yes. No, wait. I should try and warn the Jedi off first. I'll see if anything can be done..." Bail hesitated. "I'm not sure when I'll be back." He wasn't sure he would be back at all.

Breha understood, he knew it from the way she looked at him - like it might be the last time. But her voice was firm when she spoke. "Of course you must go. I'll take care of Neeka here."

Bail looked at her. She had a few more wrinkles, a few more grey hair, but he did not see them. To him she was as beautiful as the first day they had met. He wanted to take her in his arms, to embrace her, to kiss her forever... "Thank you", he said instead. "I'll try to send you word regularly."

Before he had time to regret any of this he climbed back into his airspeeder. He had not bothered to turn it off so it only took a few seconds to take off again. The last vision of his home was Breha waving back at him, a hand protectively on Neeka's shoulder.

* * *

Only this morning, Neeka's worries had been trivial. He had failed to complete his homework in time, and to top it off had arrived late in class because he had forgotten one of his assignments and had had to go back for it. Master Ali-Alann had told him he would be on laundry duty as punishment for the rest of the week. Now he would not have to do it, and he felt a somewhat hysterical laughter bubble up in his throat. Tears stung his eyes, but he would not let them come out. Not in front of someone else. Jedi were supposed to be calm and in control at all times, weren't they ?

But then, Jedi were also supposed to know the future and to take every element into account before making any decision. Neeka had always thought the Masters were unfallible. They always knew when he lied, or even when he was being anything less than truthful. Sometimes, they knew things about him he did not even know himself. So what had happened ? How could they have been taken so utterly by surprise ? And everyone had been killed, Neeka felt it in that dark knot that twisted his stomach, in the nausea that threatened whenever he allowed himself to think of what had happened. He blinked back tears. All he wanted now was to be alone.

"Neeka", Lady Organa said gently to get his attention.

He looked up at her. She seemed nice, and the Force did not ring any warnings when he came near her. "Yes, your Highness." His voice sounded far from normal even to his own ears.

"We need to get ready in case someone comes", she said seriously, and he was glad she spoke to him like an adult.

She seemed to expect an answer so he nodded. "What should I do ?"

"First of all, clean up and change clothes", she decided, studying him. She inhaled sharply when the right side of his face came into view. "No, change of plans, we'll take care of your wounds first. That must be painful."

"A little." Maybe a little more than that. He had been too strung up and pumped up with adrenaline to really feel the burn when it hit him, but now it smarted.

"Come on in then." She took his hand and encouragingly led him to the door, but Neeka recoiled when he saw all the people inside. Two ladies, one man who wore an official-looking suit, another man who looked like an officer, and a whole security squad. Neeka squizzed his saber tighter, although he knew he had no chance of getting away if they suddenly decided he was more bother than was worth.

"Please don't be afraid", Breha said, her voice soothing. "These are my friends."

Neeka warily eyed the security squad, whom he had labelled as the most dangerous occupants of the room. Breha followed his gaze.

"Captain Durane, perhaps your men could wait in the drawing room for a moment."

"My lady - " the Captain said, on the verge of contesting a royal order.

"_Now_, Captain", Breha said in a definite tone of voice.

Clearly unhappy, Durane nodded at his men and they withdrew to the drawing room in orderly fashion. Neeka was still nervous at the idea of entering the room and being essentially trapped inside, but he also felt a warm feeling that Breha would bother to make him comfortable rather than dragging him inside - or leaving him to his fate. Or giving him away to the authorities, for that matter.

"Do you feel safe enough to come inside now ?" Breha asked him gently.

Not really. All she had to do was call her men back and he would be at her mercy. But Bail Organa was taking a huge risk aiding him and she was his wife, so maybe she could be trusted. He would have to trust someone at some point, anyway. And Neeka remembered seeing Senator Organa walking with Master Kenobi in the Temple, once. He swallowed, clenched his teeth and stepped inside. He waited, all of his muscles tense, but Lady Organa did not call the men back in, nor did she try to close the door behind him. Slightly reassured, Neeka took one more step inside. When nothing happened he relaxed marginally. Lady Organa was as good as her word. And she gave him a very nice smile, too.

"Thank you for trusting me, Neeka."

He was at a loss what to say. Wasn't he supposed to thank her for helping him ? "You're welcome", he said without thinking, then felt horribly embarrassed when he realized how inappropriate that was. "I mean", he said hastily, "I want to say thank you for taking me in. I know it's dangerous for you."

"Nonsense", she waved his thanks away. "I couldn't let you fend for yourself."

"Yes, you could have", he said stubbornly. "Most people would have." They had broached that sort of topic in Philosophy class last semester, the way people tended to act selfishly and why they, younglings, should strive not to. "So I'm... I mean... thank you." He felt horribly stupid with everyone staring at him.

Breha helped him out with a smile. "Well, you're already a true diplomat, aren't you ? Come now, let's get you sorted out. Captain Durane, you have some knowledge in first aid, don't you ? Why don't you get the first-aid kit in the bathroom and see to Neeka's burns ?"

"As you wish, your Highness."

Neeka could not tell from the Captain's face what his true feelings on the matter were, and the Force was particularly unhelpful in that regard as well. He looked at the retreating, stern figure with mixed feelings. Well, the Captain was Alderaanian, so he would do what Lady Organa bade him, right ?

"Neeka, I'd like to introduce you to Sateen and Sheltav", Lady Organa said, drawing his attention back to her. She pointed at the two ladies he had seen earlier. One of them was brown haired and wore a gown with an intricate design. The other had a more traditional Alderaanian garb, and was blond. Both were beautiful, and both had very, very long hair gathered up on their heads in a complicated hairstyle that involved numerous pins and certainly a lot of hairgel.

Trying to remember what had been taught in Protocol class Neeka performed the minimal bow favoured by Jedi. "Lady Sateen, Lady Sheltav, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, what good manners he has", Lady Sheltav (the brown-haired one) cooed, to his everlasting embarassment.

Lady Sateen was much less girlish in her evaluation of him and merely nodded back to him. He found he much preferred that no-nonsense attitude of hers.

"And this is Tarrik", Lady Organa concluded, gesturing at the man decked in a suit. "He's Bail's assistant. Well, one of them."

"Sir." Neeka repeated his bow and the man nodded politely back, then went back to ignoring him. Fair enough.

Captain Durane came back then with the first-aid kit and Lady Organa ushered Neeka to the couch. "Sit, sit." She smiled at him.

Neeka obeyed but removed Senator Organa's cloak first. Captain Durane set the first-aid kit on the couch and rummaged inside while eyeing Neeka's wound with the air of a professional. He took a small bottle full of a clear liquid and sprayed it generously on a patch of gauze. "I'll clean the wound first", Captain Durane said. "It might sting a little."

Neeka shrugged. It always stung. Sometimes more than stung. He remembered vividly the time he had broken his arm in Physical Training, and he had felt like he was going to _die _if the pain went on much longer. Master Dren had told him to center and meditate to ease the pain, but that hadn't helped much.

It did sting and more than a little when Captain Durane wiped away the grime and dried blood, and try as he may, Neeka let out a small noise of protest.

"Almost done", the Captain said without looking at him. He threw away the now filthy patch of gauze and tore out the wrapping of a bacta patch, which he applied on the burn. "It's not too bad. Might leave a scar though."

As if he cared about scars right now. Neeka's throat seemed to close when he remembered everything else he had to worry about. "Thank you", he remembered his manners in time but his voice was a little squeaky.

"Alright now", Lady Organa said, taking control of the situation, "I think you need to wash now, and while you do that I'll try and find clothes that will fit you."

Neeka nodded cautiously, and hoped whatever she picked was not too ridiculous. He was used to the simple garbs worn by the Jedi. In fact he was a little reluctant to discard his Initiate clothing even though he knew he had to. It was familiar and reassuring and it felt right wearing it.

"Here, I'll show you the bathroom."

Neeka followed Lady Organa outside the room and in a corridor and she opened the second door on the right. "There, take your time. There are towels to dry yourself with... well, just use whatever you need. I'll leave you to it."

The door closed behind Lady Organa, leaving Neeka alone. He looked at the door - yes, there was a basic locking system. He hesitated only for a second before he locked the door. Maybe it was not very polite - this was Lady Organa's flat, after all - but he felt much safer for it.

The sudden silence within the bathroom made his head pound. Everything had a slightly dreamlike quality to it. Maybe it was a dream... Neeka played with the notion. It would be nice. He would wake up in his dorm with the other younglings and Jukka would be snoring as always (he said it was a normal noise for Ithorians, but everyone knew it was complete nonsense). And then he'd go to class, and he would even be happy to do the laundry duties...

With a sigh, Neeka forced himself back to reality and slowly made his way to the lavatory. He looked at his face in the mirror ; the area around his burn was clean, but his hair was hanging in sweaty locks, and the rest of his face was dark with the grease from under Senator Organa's airspeeder. Clinging to it while the Senator was going full speed had not been fun.

Raising a hand to wipe away the grime, Neeka realized with a jolt that they were shaking. He stared at them as if they belonged to someone else. Try as he might, he could not control the trembling and worse, it gained the rest of his body. A minute later he found himself shivering and breathing heavily, his legs almost buckling under his weight. He managed to sit ungracefully before he simply collapsed and wrapped his arms around his knees. Finally a great, wracking sob escaped him and once it was out there was no hope of controlling himself.

He did not know how long he remained sobbing on the floor though it could not have been terribly long. Slowly the sobs slowed then stopped, and he just sat miserably, forehead touching his knees. His breathing gradually came back to normal, until he felt drained and empty but in control of himself.

He could not remain all night long on the floor. The idea made its way through his head and with a sigh, he stood up slowly, his muscles knotted and painful. He had never felt so awful in his life.

"It's unfair", he said out loud, then almost broke down again in a fit of hysterical laughter. Unfair was such an inadequate word for what had happened. "Unfair", he said again, just to hear the sound of the word, and let out an insane giggle. Painfully regaining control of himself he shed his clothes and climbed in the shower.

The scalding hot water felt good on his skin, vivifying and purifying. He stayed a long time in the shower, letting it drip down his body and relaxing his muscles. The water ran down his back and legs, black with dirt at first then gradually lighter. He fumbled around for the soap and shampoo and gave himself a good scrubbing, only careful to avoid the spot with his burns. There was a tender patch on his ribs with a whole array of bruises where he had fallen during his escape from the Temple, but they would fade in time.

It was a long, long time before he felt ready to face the world again and climbed out of the shower. Senator Organa's water bill was going to be costly this month, he thought, but he could not bring himself to really care. He searched for towels and rubbed his hair dry, then took the time to undo and redo his Padawan braid.

Then, feeling as if he had lost enough time, he put his old clothes back on and came out. He walked to the drawing room, the door of which hung half-open, but hesitated then stopped before coming in. Lady Organa was speaking.

"...should have called by now."

"My lady, the situation being what it is..." Lady Sheltav's voice.

"I know, I know." Lady Organa let out a frustrated sigh.

"My lady, it's your turn."

"Is it ? Well... Jedi Knight to E6."

It sounded like they were playing Strat-tac. A little ashamed for spying on her, Neeka pushed the door and entered, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Lady Organa looked up from the Strat-tac board and adressed him a warm smile.

"My, but you look human again ! Ah, here are some clothes - I wasn't sure what you'd like so I asked Sateen to pick a few different things. You'll need a whole new wardrobe at some point, anyway."

Well, at least Sateen had been the one to pick them rather than Sheltav... the thought had barely formed in Neeka's mind that he felt ashamed again. Lady Organa was kind enough to offer him new clothes and he was there fussing about what it would look like... he cleared his throat. "I'm very grateful, Lady Organa. And to you as well, Lady Sateen." Saying such mundane things seemed completely out of place after what had happened at the Temple.

Lady Organa waved his thanks away. "It's nothing. Just pick something and change clothes, then bring back yours so we can dispose of them."

The clothes were neatly folded in a small pile and thankfully seemed to be all muted colours and sober cuts. Neeka gathered them and fled back to the bathroom to try them on. He ended up with a pair of black pants and a dark green loose tunic. His boots and belt, he decided he could keep without danger since they had nothing recognizable about them. He hung his lightsaber on his belt and folded his Jedi clothes. He did not really know why he bothered since they were going to be burnt or atomized or something, but it felt important somehow.

Back in the drawing room he presented Lady Organa with the clothes but Sateen swooped in to take them, then disappeared into another room. Lady Organa observed him critically. "Well, it looks good I think", she said finally. "We'll soon have you looking almost ordinary."

Soon ? What was there to change ? Neeka frowned and looked at himself. Well, he would have to hide his saber in public, of course, but...

"Come here, Neeka."

He looked up. Lady Organa was holding a pair of scissors. It clicked into his mind and his hand flew to his Padawan braid. "What ? No !"

She looked at him with something akin to pity. "I'm sorry but you must. It screams "Jedi" to anyone who bothers to look. You'd be spotted right away."

"But - " Neeka tried to swallow and found he couldn't. It was too much, too soon. His braid was part of him, grew with him until he was a Knight. Until he was ready to defend himself, and the Galaxy. Sometimes the Masters threatened to cut the braid of a Padawan or Initiate who misbehaved badly - something almost as bad as throwing him out of the Order - but to Neeka's knowledge they had never gone through with it.

"For heaven's sake, boy, it's just hair !" Captain Durane growled impatiently. "It grows back. Your head won't."

"Thank you Captain, I think that will be all", Lady Organa said with a dark look. The Captain shrugged and muttered, but she ignored him and turned back to Neeka. "Listen, Neeka, imagine just for a minute that Stormtroopers demand to enter five minutes from now, and then look at you and ask why you have a Jedi haircut ? And that's only if they'd bother to ask. They might just shoot all of us."

The recent memory of Zett being shot down flashed in Neeka's memory, and he remembered the smell of burnt flesh, the sound of the blaster shot, the hum of the lightsaber suddenly cut short... he felt almost physically ill.

"Neeka ?" That was Lady Organa. "Are you alright ? You look pale. Come, sit on the couch."

He gave her a sickly smile and stumbled to the couch. Sitting made him feel a little better, although it did not diminish the dread nested in the pit of his stomach.

"I'm sorry", Lady Organa said. "But it really is necessary. You do understand, don't you ?"

Neeka took a deep breath. Cutting his braid wasn't so dreadful, was it ? It would be like he graduated early to be a Knight. He could tell himself he was a powerful Knight like Anakin Skywalker. Or he could be a Jedi undercover. Well, he actually was one, kind of... that idea brought a small smile to his lips. He looked at Lady Organa, who was waiting expectantly for his answer. Maybe it was time to grow up.

"I understand", he said, his voice more firm than he expected.

Lady Organa nodded with a relieved smile. He closed his eyes tightly when she brought the scissors near his right ear, and he shivered inwardly when he heard the rustle of cut hair.

"There, it's done."

Opening his eyes, Neeka found Lady Organa holding his Padawan braid. "I don't suppose I can keep it", he said without much hope.

Lady Organa gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but it's much safer to destroy it."

Neeka nodded slowly. "Alright. Give it to me please. I'd rather do it myself."

Lady Organa looked slightly puzzled but it was a measure of her trust and respect that she handed him the braid without question. Captain Durane watched with a bored look on his face ; Sateen and Sheltav were talking sotto voce to each other, and Tarrik was reading something.

Neeka took his lightsaber in his hand and checked his surroundings, as he had always been taught before activating his saber. He did not want to cut someone by mistake. When he was satisfied there was no danger he threw the braid in the air and, with a sharp flick of the wrist, let the humming blade of his saber swallow it. Only a few ashes and a smell of burnt hair betrayed that the braid had ever existed, but at least this way it would feel like it was still with him. Kinda. He deactivated his saber and put it back at his belt.

"Ah", Captain Durane said suddenly. "About that..."

Lady Organa shot him a warning look, which went unheeded.

"...we should dismantle that lightsaber as well."

Do what ? Neeka looked cautiously at Durane then Lady Organa, sure he must have misheard. Lady Organa looked half annoyed, half sorry, a rather bad omen in and of itself. Neeka's knuckles grew painful, so hard he was holding onto his saber. "No", he said.

"Neeka..." Lady Organa began, then trailed off. "Well, we can discuss that tomorrow."

"No !" Neeka and Captain Durane said at the exact same time. Neeka glared at him.

"We can't afford to wait, your Highness", Captain Durane said. "We've dawdled too long as it is. Every minute increases the chance of a stormtrooper squad coming here. If they find something as damning as a lightsaber, we're all dead."

"I'm not giving up my lightsaber", Neeka said hotly. Master Ali-Alann would be cross with him, he thought distractedly, for feeling so strongly instead of calming himself with a Jedi meditation technique. Right now he did not care. "I don't mean to put you in danger", he told Lady Organa. "I'm grateful for everything you've done for me. But I'm not giving up my lightsaber. If my being here is too dangerous I'll leave."

"Of course you're not leaving !" She sounded appalled, embarrassed and angry all at the same time. They looked at each other, Lady Organa, Captain Durane and Neeka, none of them satisfied and none knowing how to satisfactorily end the stand-off. "How long would it take to destroy the saber ?" Lady Organa finally asked.

Captain Durane shrugged. "Depends how we do it. If we're thorough and we atomize it completely, maybe one hour. Or we can just throw it outside the window if it's an emergency, though it's riskier since someone might find it. But so long as there's no proof linking it to us..." he shrugged again.

"Good, here is my suggestion. Neeka keeps his saber -" The Captain tried to protest and Lady Organa raised a hand to silence him. " - for tonight." It was Neeka's turn to try and protest, and his turn to be silenced. "If at any point a squad of stormtroopers shows up, Neeka will throw it outside the window. Otherwise we'll reconsider the matter tomorrow. Is that agreed ?"

Captain Durane hesitated, then nodded, although he glared at Neeka. "We should have enough time to do that", he said reluctantly. "But it would be safer to dispose of it now."

"Enough", Lady Organa said. "Neeka ?"

He was still less than happy, but at least they would leave the matter rest for tonight, and that suited him just fine. "Okay."

She gave him a warning look. "You will get rid of it, without hesitation, if stormtroopers show up." It was half a question, half a statement.

Neeka considered protesting, but what use would it be ? Besides, he knew she was right. He just did not know if he could do it. Although he had no doubt Captain Durane would do it for him if it came to that... finally he nodded reluctantly. "I'll do it."

Lady Organa relaxed marginally. "Good. And now, young man, I think it's time for you to go to bed."

Neeka stared at her, aghast. She could not be serious. The Republic was collapsing, everyone was dead, Senator Organa had been gone for hours, and she wanted him to go to bed ? Unthinkable.

"If I may, your Highness, I'd rather wait until Senator Organa is back with news." He had to make a serious effort to remain polite. He knew she deserved no less from him, but he hated to be dismissed like that. Besides, he was sure he could never sleep.

"Bail might not come back until tomorrow", she said reasonably. "And you look exhausted."

"If I feel too tired I'll go", Neeka edged.

She looked at him and for a moment he thought she was going to send him to bed anyway, but she just sighed after a moment. "Alright. Alright, you may stay. I suppose you must be as eager for news as I am."

"Thank you !" He smiled at her for the first time, albeit weakly. She looked surprised, then smiled back.

"Well", Sateen yawned, "I'll make some tea then."

Tarrik looked up from whatever he was reading. "Bring some of these Coruscanti biscuits as well, will you ? I'm feeling a little peckish."

It turned out everyone was hungry, and they ended up somehow having an impromptu picknick in the drawing room. Neeka had to force himself to eat but found he felt better for it, and it helped settle his stomach. Lady Organa resumed her game of strat-tac with Sateen, and Neeka took to whispering advice to her when he thought no one was looking.

He ended up on the couch somehow, dozing off without even realizing it. He had not thought he could sleep, but when it came exhaustion crashed down on him without a warning. He barely felt someone pulling off his boots and tucking a pillow under his head before he was soundly asleep.


	2. The Passing

**CHAPTER 2 - The Passing  
**

_Pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris_

* * *

Bail paced back and forth on the main deck of the _Sundered Heart_. Nothing had gone well. Two Jedi, he had saved two Jedi out of... how many thousand ? Could they all be dead ? No, they must have gone into hiding. Hopefully. He chafed at the forced inaction, but there was nothing more to be done. Palpatine's plans had been masterful, loathe as he was to admit it. The Chancellor had been patient, building his web like a spider, striking in the shadows, never revealing his hand until it was too late.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Bail stopped and looked through the wide transparasteel bay at the dark blue deepness of hyperspace. They were en route to Naboo, where its former queen would be laid to rest. She would have liked that, certainly. Bail had not known her as well as Master Kenobi, but he knew she had loved her native planet dearly.

He let his thoughts wander as he stood there, mesmerized by the moving shades in the blue tunnel around the ship. Padme... what a pointless death. Why wouldn't she fight to live ? Why just give up and abandon her newborns ? Whatever had happened to her, Kenobi had been uncharacteristically tight-lipped about it. When Bail had asked, he had seen such deep, painful emotion on the Jedi's face that he had not dared question him further. It did not really matter now, although Bail suspected that Kenobi blamed himself for Padme's death.

And what of her children ? Well, maybe they could be fostered in a Nubian family... who wouldn't want such adorable babies ? Bail smiled when he remembered Leia's small fist closing around his index when he had held her. And her big blue eyes had just made him melt...

The sound of footsteps behind him tore him away from his reverie. The steps faltered and stopped completely, and Bail turned to find Master Kenobi looking at him.

"Sorry", the Jedi said. "I didn't realize you were there."

Obviously, the Jedi super-senses were not as omniscient as they liked to make it appear. Duh. They would not be in such a bad spot now if they were. Bail forced himself to smile. Kenobi badly needed some positive thinking right now.

"Feel free to pretend I'm not here."

Kenobi shrugged. "Nah, I'll just come back later. I didn't mean to disturb you."

"You don't. I was just trying to think of what should become of the twins."

"Ah..." Kenobi's voice trailed off. "Yes, I'd meant to talk to you about that."

"What do you mean ?" Bail looked at him, sincerely puzzled. Kenobi's demeanour was uncharacteristically hesitant.

"You see, the children are important."

Bail saw nothing of the sort. "I don't quite..." he began. "Of course they're adorable, but... or do you mean, because they're Padme's children ? But you know, the title of queen isn't hereditary on Naboo..."

Kenobi was shaking his head. "No, no, nothing like that. But it's..." his face crunched up in a grimace. "I'll just say it outright - the children are force-sensitive."

"Oh. _What _?!" The possible ramifications flashed through Bail's mind. Force-sensitive children - but how would Kenobi know ? He could have run a midi-chlorian test, but how would he have known to run it in the first place ? Or was it just one of the normal tests done during the babies' first health check ? Or maybe Kenobi felt it through the Force... all these Jedi things still mystified Bail.

"The twins are Force-sensitive", Kenobi repeated.

"Oh. Yes, yes, I heard you the first time. How do you know ?"

Kenobi fidgeted uncomfortably. "They have an uncommonly strong link with the Force, even now. It's hard to miss."

Well, that explained it... only, wasn't the Force supposed to be hereditary ? Not always, but often... and Padme had never shown the slightest hint of Jedi talent... unless it was the fa - With a jolt, Bail realized he had no idea who the father was. He studied Kenobi's face carefully.

"Master Kenobi", he said slowly. "Do you know by any chance who the twins' father is ?"

Kenobi started as if he had been slapped and looked at Bail with the look of an Ewok caught in the headlights. Odd reaction. Kenobi was a good negotiator and rarely showed his thoughts and feelings so openly, so this matter had to really rattle him... he regained control of his features but it was too late and he knew it.

"I know who it is", he admitted readily.

"Well..." Bail said carefully. "Why not contact him so he can raise them ?"

"That would be quite impossible", Kenobi said stiffly. He took a deep breath. "He's dead. The father."

Hum. There was still something off. Kenobi was not telling him the whole truth, Bail was sure of it. "Who was it ?" he pushed ahead with a wild guess. "A Jedi ?"

Kenobi paled so much that Bail was afraid for a second he was going to faint. "I don't think..."

"A friend of yours ?" Bail pressed anyway.

Kenobi looked away in the swirling hyperspace outside the Sundered Heart and clenched his jaw. "For everyone's safety, it would be best to let the matter rest."

"Obi-Wan..." Bail said gently. "The children will want to know someday. And..." And Kenobi might not be there to give them the answers, but Bail did not have the heart to say it out loud.

"Maybe keeping them ignorant would be a kindness", Kenobi said in a low voice. "How could I tell them..." he trailed off.

Tell them what, Bail wondered, his frustration tempered only by his compassion. What had happened ? Did Kenobi somehow feel responsible for the father's death ? Or was it something else ? Was there some scandalous secret involved here, between Padme and Kenobi maybe ?

Kenobi's closed expression made it clear that Bail could conjecture until balance was brought to the Force, but he would say no more on the subject. That, in itself, was rather suspicious.

"Master Kenobi, you know you can trust me."

"It's not a matter of trust", Kenobi said quietly. "But the truth would bring nothing positive to anyone. It is profoundly irrelevant to the matter at hand. The father is dead. We'll leave it at that." And this time the matter was definitely closed.

"Fine", Bail relented, only because he had no choice and he did not want to antagonize Kenobi now, not in this darkest hour. "So what will become of the children ?"

"Right, yes, that's what we were discussing", Kenobi muttered, rubbing his forehead.

The man must be exhausted, Bail thought. When had he slept last ? Judging from the dark rings under his eyes, at least two or three days. And his eyes were red, as if he had cried recently, although the mere thought was ridiculous. Jedi don't cry. Unless... Padme...?

"The twins are Force-sensitive so they'll need to be hidden", Kenobi went on after he had gathered his thoughts. "Preferably with someone trustworthy, or somewhere remote. And they should be split up, so that if one of them is found, the other may have a chance to remain hidden."

Bail did not like the idea of separating twins, but the notion did have merit. "I suppose", he said reluctantly. "Did you have someone in mind ?"

"I do, actually." For the first time since the Purge, Kenobi gave Bail a small smile. "I distinctly remember you telling me how much you always wanted a little girl."

"Yes, I..." Bail started with a melancholic smile, then sputtered. "Uh - What - Wait a second !"

"Hmm..." Kenobi said, eyeing him speculatively. "Yes, I think you'd make a marvelous father. A married man, neither too old nor too young, with the means to support himself and his family..."

"Master Kenobi !" Bail feigned outrage although he felt a secret, guilty pleasure. It was a great show of trust, and he did want a little girl so very badly.

Kenobi stopped smiling and looked at him seriously. "It's not a joke, Senator. I do think you would make a wonderful father, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather trust with Leia's safekeeping."

Bail opened his mouth to list all the reasons why he should not take custody of Leia, and found himself at a loss for words. Leia needed a safe haven, he wanted a child of his own. He would have preferred to discuss it with Breha beforehand but he was fairly certain she would be thrilled at the prospect. So why not ? Slowly, the idea made its way into his mind, until it seemed like an obvious solution. Master Kenobi said nothing, giving him time to contemplate the prospect, but he had a small, smug smile that made Bail suspect he knew exactly what was going through his head.

"Well..." Bail floundered. It was not that he wasn't willing, he thought. He was just overwhelmed by such a responsibility. Leia was so small, so fragile, and he had not the slightest idea how to take care of an infant.

"Come now", Kenobi said, sounding amused, "it's not such a daunting prospect, is it ?"

Sometimes Bail wished the Jedi would keep their blasted mind-reading abilities for when they were actually required. Two days ago would have been nice.

"What of Luke, then ?" he asked instead. "Would you take care of him ?"

"What ?" Kenobi looked horrified. Bail savoured his small revenge. "No ! Certainly not ! I'll find a good family for him."

"Why not ?" Bail persisted. "You'd be a perfect father", he mimicked Kenobi's patronizing tone from earlier. "The right age, you could settle down and marry, and who better to teach Luke the ways of the Jedi ?"

Kenobi did not seem to find it funny. Tough.

"There can be no question of my taking Luke", he said.

"Why not ?" Bail insisted, determined not to give him an easy time. Besides, Kenobi would be an ideal father figure. And maybe taking care of a child would help convince him to lie low for a while, hide and make sure he stayed safe. "Besides, if Luke is force-sensitive, he'll need a teacher at some point. That makes you an ideal choice."

"It's just impossible." Kenobi's tone was adamant.

"Impossible ?" Bail raised an eyebrow. "I did not think Jedi knew the meaning of that word."

He regretted the light-hearted teasing immediately when he saw Kenobi wince. "Senator Organa... Bail. If... when the stormtroopers come for me, I don't want Luke to be caught in the crossfire."

That shattered the comfy atmosphere that they had shared just a moment ago. Kenobi really needed to see a specialist about those depressed thoughts of his, Bail thought darkly. Preferably before he became outright suicidal. "If they come for you, they could also come for Luke. Wouldn't it be better if you were there to protect him ?"

"I fully intend to be there. Only... at a safe distance."

Kenobi's bleak tone was not a good sign. Whatever he had planned for his own future, it mustn't be very enticing. "Obi-Wan", Bail tried reasonably, "you can't just keep watching Luke from a distance for years on end."

Kenobi shrugged, confirming Bail's worst suspicions. "Whyever not ?"

Bail rubbed his chin with his hand. Where to begin ? "Luke's foster family would think you're a raving mad stalker, for starters", he said, and he could not keep back an undignified snicker when he saw Kenobi's face. "And it's not a life for you. You're a Jedi, not a glorified caretaker."

Kenobi did not look convinced, and Bail decided he had pressed the matter as much as he could for tonight. He would try again later, after they both had had some sleep. And, hopefully, found some peace of mind in the process. He also needed to send a quick message to Breha - speaking of which...

"By the way, Master Kenobi, I have great news." This was just what Kenobi needed before heading to bed, some good news to lift up his spirit.

"Really ?"

"I found one of the younglings for the Temple."

Kenobi's face lit up, shedding ten years in the process. "That's fantastic ! What's his name ? Or her name ? Are they alright ?"

Bail raised a hand to staunch the flow of questions. "Yes, yes, he's mostly fine, some light wounds, nothing dreadful. And his name is Neeka Kurian."

"Hmm..." Kenobi's face crunched up in thoughts as he obviously tried to remember an Initiate by that name. "Doesn't ring a bell, but I didn't work closely with the younglings." Regret clouded his face. "Master Ali-Alann would know..."

Bail smiled. "The boy was well-taught. He managed to slip away unnoticed by attaching himself to my airspeeder, somehow. I didn't even notice."

Kenobi returned his smile, with an ounce of nostalgy. "Oh, Senator, if I told you about some of the stunts I performed..."

Bail was torn between amusement and profound sympathy for Kenobi's guardians. He must have been quite a handful. "Why, Master Kenobi, how well you hide your true nature", he said mockingly. "You always appear so smart and well-behaved, but the truth has surfaced at last !"

"Yes", Kenobi said regretfully. "It has a tendency to do that..." he shook his head. "So what do you intend to do about the youngling ? He's certainly too young to fare on his own."

"Well, I was thinking about placing him in a foster family, somehow. The only thing is, he is a Jedi. Well, not yet, but he does have the potential and part of the training. So I'm a little at a loss. I have no idea how to hide a Force-sensitive child... so I was thinking, perhaps you would have some advice. Actually that would be helpful for Leia later as well, I imagine."

"Ah..." Kenobi pondered the question. "Yes and no. For the youngling, I'll tell you what instructions to give him, that's easy enough. But Leia... she won't receive formal training, so..." he shrugged. "Actually that shouldn't even be a problem. Without training, she most likely won't be able to use her potential. She will have fast reflexes and very good intuition, but that should be about it."

"Hum", Bail said, not entirely convinced though of the two of them, Kenobi certainly was the authority on Force-sensitive babies. "I'll reserve the right to call on you if anything starts levitating around her."

"You do that", Kenobi said with a small grin.

Bail stifled a yawn and checked his chronometer. "That's at least twelve hours before we reach Naboo. I intend to use that time to catch up on some sleep, and I suggest you do the same. You look completely exhausted, Obi-Wan."

Kenobi blinked and looked at him somewhat owlishly. "Hum, yes, I am actually. I'm afraid even Jedi have their limits."

"Which is, quite sincerely, a reassuring thought for the rest of us mortals." Bail familiarly patted Kenobi's shoulder. "Come on, I'll show you to the guest quarters."

* * *

Before he even opened his eyes, Neeka knew with certainty that he did not want to get up today. He did not remember exactly what it was, but he remembered something awful had happened, and he did not want to face it. He kept his eyes safely shut and tried to dive back into sleep, but it escaped him. Then his memory came back and he groaned, burying his head in his pillow. Today was the right time to stay in bed and do nothing.

"Neeka ?" that was Lady Organa's voice. Neeka sighed, obviously he would get no more sleep today. Reluctantly he opened his eyes and looked around.

He distinctly remembered falling asleep on the couch last night, but now he was in a bedroom - probably a guest room, judging by its impersonal appearance and emptiness. Lady Organa watched him from the door, a melancholic smile on her lips. "Finally awake, sleepyhead ?"

Neeka groaned, then forced himself to make at least an articulate answer. "Yes, thank you."

He pushed away the blankets and slid down from the bed, finding that he was still fully clothed but for his belt and boots. The boots were standing at the foot of the bed, and his belt casually slung over a chair. He put both on. Although he had slept in his new clothes, he had not actually worn them for very long, so he decided he could just keep them on.

"Was there any news ?" he asked Lady Organa, and braced himself for the reply.

She sighed. "Only a short note from Bail saying he had to get off-world urgently and would be back promptly." She gave Neeka a quick glance and added reassuringly, "there was no word of Masters Yoda and Kenobi on the news, so they must be still hiding."

"Right !" Neeka clung to that sliver of hope. Master Kenobi was a living legend for the younglings, as much as Anakin Skywalker, Barriss Offee and other heroes of the Clone Wars, except Master Kenobi was way cooler than any of the others. And he always smiled and was nice to everyone. Maybe he'd come back to Coruscant and Neeka could stay with him, become his Padawan... it would not exactly solve everything, but it definitely would make things better, because with Master Kenobi in charge nothing bad could happen.

"You must be hungry", Lady Organa said. "How about some breakfast ?"

Neeka was, in fact, ravenous, although the day before he had felt like he could never eat again. "I could use some." He dared a shy smile.

"Come on to the kitchen then", Lady Organa smiled back. "I'm sure we can put something together for you."

She showed him the way to the kitchen, where Sateen was already sorting out some kind of brunch. A moment later Neeka found himself seated in front of a glass of juice and several rolls that were still warm from the oven. He tucked in with enthusiasm.

Even as he ate, he saw in the better light of the kitchen that Lady Organa still looked absolutely exhausted. Had she had any sleep ? Doubtful, judging from her appearance.

"Neeka, while you were asleep I started working on a few things, including how to get you to safety. You shouldn't stay on Coruscant, it's too dangerous in the long run."

He nodded his agreement, his mouth full, and wiped a few crumbs from his lips.

"The means of transportation isn't a problem, we can just use the Sundered Heart... we will have to work on creating a new identity for you as well, but the main question is where to take you."

Neeka swallowed his mouthfull and waited expectantly for her to continue.

"I was thinking the simplest thing would be to bring you to Alderaan", Lady Organa concluded. "We can find a foster family for you, and Alderaan is remote enough from the Core that you'd be safe. And Bail and I could protect you. What do you think ?"

Well, at least she asked for his opinion, rather than telling him flat out to just do it. Neeka felt a little light-headed as the notion penetrated his brain. "A foster family ?" he said with difficulty.

Lady Organa looked a little puzzled by his reaction. "Well, yes, of course. You can't stay on your own."

A mother and a father. What a foreign concept. Neeka blinked. "I can't."

Lady Organa stared at him in incomprehension. "Whyever not ?"

"Attachment goes against the Jedi Code."

Lady Organa opened her mouth then closed it again, before finally finding her words. "How do you mean ?"

Neeka felt stupid explaining something that obvious to her. "That's why we're raised in the Temple. Because attachments are a liability."

Lady Organa looked both horrified and perplexed. "You mean you're not allowed to like people ? But I thought Master Kenobi was Bail's friend !"

"We're allowed to have friends", Neeka corrected her. "But the attachment mustn't be too strong, because otherwise we might lose our objectivity and not deal with them fairly."

"That is just awful !" Lady Organa declared categorically. "How they can put such things in children's heads, I'll never understand. Love and attachment are everything that makes life worth living, and it's very unfair of the Masters to try and deprive you of it."

Neeka gazed at her dubiously. He was fairly certain that the Masters knew more about what was right than Lady Organa. Even if they had obviously made some big mistakes in the end. "Well, anyway", he said. "That's the Code."

"Neeka... just because it is the Code does not make it right."

"But the Jedi have agreed on it for thousands of years, so there has to be a good reason", Neeka argued, though he did not know why he should bother. The Code was the Code and that was it, adults were supposed to uphold it.

Lady Organa shook her head vehemently. "I don't claim to know much about the Jedi, but I'm fairly certain some of them must have disagreed wit such an awful rule, even if they didn't say so openly."

"But it's the Code !" Neeka insisted. He did not understand why Lady Organa wanted to discuss it or argue about it. No amount of argueing would change the Code.

She looked ready to launch herself in a length tirade, but held herself back at the last moment to change her angle of attack. "Alright, let's leave the Code aside for the time being. Let us focus on the essential - we need to hide you, and a boy your age would be best hidden with a family. Maybe you could just pretend ?"

Neeka considered. If it was not for real, did it count ? Besides, would he be able to live with people he did not like and could not get close to ? "It seems very unfair to whoever would take me in", he declared eventually. "They would get all the inconvenients of having a son, and none of the advantages."

"We would compensate them accordingly, of course", Lady Organa assured him.

"Well, I suppose..." Neeka said uncertainly. "Would it not be simpler for me to be in an orphanage though ?"

"Oh, Neeka... you don't want to be in an orphanage, trust me. They try, but they're not very nice places."

He gave her a frustrated look. Of course he did not want to live in an orphanage. He wanted to be in the Temple and continue his normal life. But that was not going to happen and he was just trying to be practical about it. "I just think we should consider everything before deciding."

"There isn't much in the way of choices, unfortunately."

Neeka sighed and drowned the last of his juice. Footsteps in the corridor put an end to their discussion ; a moment later, Captain Durane came in. Neeka's fingers searched automatically for the reassuring weight of his lightsaber... and found nothing. Only then did he realize that he was missing it. He looked frantically around. "Where's my lightsaber ?!"

Captain Durane paused on his way to the kitchen table and glanced at him. "I disposed of it."

"What ?!"

"Captain Durane, I thought we agreed to wait until morning to discuss it." Lady Organa did not sound pleased, but she did not even come close to the fury that welled up in Neeka throat. He felt like he was suffocating. His last possession. The saber he had built with master Ali-Alann's help, still a little big for his hands but with a comfortable grip, and the very first saber custom-made for him. A Jedi's weapon, never to leave his side, now lost.

"We did, your Highness", Durane was saying, "and I accept full responsibility for taking the matter into my own hands, but your Highness, there was nothing else to be done. Be it last night or this morning, the problem would not have changed. The fact is, that thing was too dangerous to keep, and nothing could change that. I thought it best to remove it from the boy before too much of a fuss was made."

"But did you have to destroy it ?" Lady Organa protested. "We could have put it somewhere safe for the time being."

"Too risky, your Highness." Now the Captain sounded mildly exasperated. "your Highness, this is only an object, not worth anyone's life. If the youngling wants a new saber in a few years, he can build another one."

Lady Organa sighed and looked at her hands for a moment. "You should not have acted without my consent, Captain." She glanced at Neeka. "That said I must admit that your reasoning is sound."

What ? The Captain all but stole Neeka's saber to destroy it and he barely got so much as a slap on the hand ?

"We'll consider the matter closed", Lady Organa concluded.

"No !" Neeka barely recognized his own voice. Hot tears stung at the corner of his eyes, and his clenched fists shook with helpless rage. He had never felt so powerless, not even back in the Temple. "It was mine ! You had no right to touch it !"

The Captain turned to face him, his lips upturned in a sneer. "As the man responsible for her Highness' safety, I had every right. A Jedi, pfah ! You selfish brat ! Your very presence puts everyone here in danger, but all you care about is yourself ! Your saber, your braid, your clothes... consider yourself fortunate to be still alive instead of whining about what you've lost !"

"Captain !" Lady Organa sounded appalled, but Neeka barely even heard her. His ears were buzzing and rage all but blinded him. He only noticed the levitating sugar bowl when it crashed on the tiles of the kitchen floor, and even then it barely registered in his mind. All he knew was that he wanted to hurt Captain Durane very badly. Humiliation and fury threatened to choke him.

Captain Durane' sneer suddenly disappeared, replaced by an expression of puzzlement and slight panic as the Captain raised his hands to his throat and let out an inarticulated sound.

"Captain ?" Lady Organa's disapproval gave way to worry. "What's wrong ?"

Captain Durane was now clutching desperately at his throat and staring wildly at Neeka. Suddenly, something hit Neeka's face, shattering his concentration and rage to leave only astonishment. Lady Organa had just slapped him, hard. He raised a shaking hand to his mouth and found blood. Lady Organa was staring at him, very pale, but when she spoke her voice was calm and cool. "Such behaviour is quite unacceptable, Neeka. I'll have to ask you to go to your room and think about what you've just done. I don't think your masters would be proud, even if allowance has to be made under the circumstances."

He stared at her open-mouthed but found he could not face her and, without a word, still shaken, he turned around and strode to his room. He dared not slam the door, although he badly wanted to. Not a single thing had gone right since yesterday evening.

* * *

"Are you alright, Captain ?" Breha peered worriedly at his throat. Giles was rubbing it with a slight grimace.

"I don't think there's any real damage", he said, a little pale all the same. His voice sounded rough, too, and he had to clear his throat a few times. "Thank you for intervening in time, your Highness. I fear this might have become ugly if you hadn't." He shot a dark look in the general direction of Neeka's room.

Breha sighed. This incident was not going to improve the gloomy atmosphere. "Neeka's behaviour is inexcusable, of course, but you were... very blunt. His saber was the very last thing he had left."

"I know." Giles poured himself a glass of juice, presumably to soothe his aching throat. "But that kid is going to have to grow up fast, if he wants a shot at life. And that means learning to let go, too."

"If we had had a little more time..."

"The point is, we did not." Giles took a sip of juice, grimaced then smiled at her. "He'll get over it."

"Well, in the meantime let's be careful", Breha said. "I don't want a repeat of what just happened."

Giles flashed her a small grin. "Agreed."

Breha stood up. "I'll go check the news." She had checked them only half an hour ago, but watching a repeat of the same stories would be better than twiddling her thumbs and worrying.

"I'll come with you, your Highness."

In the drawing room, the holo-projector was still on, although neither Sateen nor Sheltav appeared to look at it. Tarrik had dozed off at some point and was snoring softly, his datapad still in hand. Hopefully he had managed to gather the documents Breha had requested from him, but in any case it would be best to let him get some rest while there was still time. Breha settled on the couch and stared at the holo-projector. It looked like the Jedi Temple was still burning. It may turn out to be a good thing she had sent Neeka to his room before he could see that, after all. It would have been highly distressing for him. Not to mention the list of dead and presumed dead, as well as the faces of Jedi presumed to be still at large with promises of a reward in return for any worthwhile information as to their whereabouts.

At first there had been more than a few networks that appeared sympathetic to the plight of the Jedi, but as the hours ticked by there were less and less of them. It looked like they were being consistantly silenced, discreetly but efficiently. And the people were far from reacting as strongly as Breha would have thought. Many of them were amazed, of course, and shocked, but they seemed to take Palpatine's lies about the Order in stride. They were outraged that the Jedi had been permitted to conspire against the Republic, dismayed that such a radical event as the burning of the Temple had been the outcome, but resolved that the same thing would not be allowed to happen again.

"It doesn't look good", Captain Durane remarked at length.

"No", Breha said. She thought about Bail, Masters Yoda and Kenobi. What was going on ? A Senate Emergency Meeting had been scheduled, and if Bail was not back soon, he would be too late to attend. "There's going to be civil war", she said absent-mindedly.

"Maybe", Giles said, more mitigated. "So far Palpatine has orchestrated everything masterfully. It would take time to coordinate systems to stand up against the Republican fleet with any reasonable chance at winning. By then the occasion will be lost." He shook his head in disgust. "To think I fought during the Clone Wars... what a waste."

Breha sighed. Now she understood better how the Separatists had felt. "When I look back on it, I think the Republic was already rotten then, before even the Clone Wars."

Giles turned his attention from the Holonews to her. "How so ?"

"Because the true problem was never even mentioned throughout the war", Breha said. She remembered the heated discussions she had had with friends and acquaintances. "The fact is, the Separatists had a right to secede from the Republic. The moment we tried to impose a government on a people that did not want it, is when we stopped being a democracy."

"But the Republic is the only thing that stands between us and chaos, and countless wars !" Giles protested. "And the Separatists did not want peace, they were readying for war even before it started !"

"True", Breha said, warming to the subject, her exhaustion forgotten for now. "But then where does it end ? When we decide we can bargain our freedom in exchange for safety, history has shown that we usually end up losing both. If this is about the greater good, then what Palpatine is doing, toppling the government, is justified. In a dictatorship there are even less dissensions and internal wars."

"Surely there can be a middleground", Sateen said, looking up from her novel. "A system that protects us from chaos without impeding on individual freedom. A system that impairs political and governmental power, for instance, but not on personal rights."

Breha made a face. "Seems like a utopia to me. Even if it was possible it would be a very thin line to tread."

"But it also depends on what the Separatists wanted", Giles said. "What reason could they have to secede, if not to attack the Republic ?"

"But the point is, we can't know that", Breha argued. "By acting on that premise, we judged and condamned them for something they had not done yet, and might never have done."

"They're the one who brought this issue to the battlefield, though", Giles said. "The issue could have been resolved peacefully, through diplomatic channels. If they were in the right, why didn't they do that ?"

Breha gave him an ironic look. "Just because they were in the right does not mean they would have got what they wanted. Chancellor Valorum was a good man, but I'm not sure he would have had the political backbone to bear the brunt of the backlash. Besides, events precipited themselves in the end. I'm not really sure you can say the Separatists wanted it to end on the battlefield, but once they were there they could not afford to back down without losing all credibility and their newly-won independance."

"I don't know", Giles said. "It's kind of hard to think of the Separatists as the wronged party, here. I lost a lot of friends in this war."

"I'm not saying anyone is entirely blameless. Just that the issue is more complicated than black and white." Breha reported her attention on the Holonews. "Do they have to keep broadcasting pictures of the Temple burning ?"

"It's a strong symbol", Sateen said. "A show of strength, as well as the basis for Palpatine's claims for legitimacy."

Breha sniffed. "He builds his legitimacy on a pyre of burning corpses... I can't believe I agreed when Bail chose to vote for that man." Mention of her husband made her long for him. She checked the time ; the Senatorial Emergency Response must be already gathering in the Senate. What a pity she could not go in Bail's stead. It looked like there would be one voice less to protest against dictatorship... but a small, selfish part of her was glad that Bail was not there to expose himself against Palpatine.

"I'll go check on Neeka", she said when the pictures became too much to bear. The Jedi initiate had been awfully quiet since she had sent him away and she was beginning to feel a small nagging worry.

"I'll come along - " Giles immediately offered.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea", Breha said, cutting him short.

"Someone else then ?" Giles rarely pleaded like that with her - he was probably afraid Neeka might hurt her, but Breha thought it unlikely. He had looked fairly horrified when he had realized what he had done, and he had had time to cool down since then. Still, there was no reason to take unnecessary risks. A Jedi's temper tantrum was wont to be more dangerous than a normal teenager's. Especially when he had fairly good reasons to be upset.

Sateen raised an eyebrow when Breha's gaze fell on her, and nodded. "I'm right behind you, your Highness."

Shadowed by the royal aide, Breha made her way to Neeka's door and knocked softly. There was no reply. With only a slight hesitation, Breha sweeped her hand against the access panel, and the door slid open. Her heart all but skipped several beats when she saw Neeka squatting on the window sill, the window open, looking down below as though he was thinking of -

"Neeka ?" she called softly in an attempt not to startle him. The last thing she wanted was for him to fall down.

He glanced at her over his shoulder, his pale eyes too red and bright in the morning light. "Lady Organa." He showed no sign of surprise, and he stayed where he was in a precarious balance, only inches away from a five-hundred story fall.

"Neeka", Breha said, her voice calm but a half-octave too high, "would you mind climbing down ?"

"Why ?"

"You're making me nervous. You wouldn't want to fall, would you ?" she tried to laugh to minimize the matter, but it did not come out quite right.

Neeka shrugged, undaunted. "I could probably catch one of these airspeeders on the way down", he said. "I know Anakin Skywalker did it. And Master Kenobi, too."

The thought was enough to make her almost physically ill. "Anakin Skywalker and Master Kenobi are experienced Jedi. You're not, not yet. Please come down. Now." She was not pleading anymore, and she was beginning to feel anger add up to her fear.

To her immense relief, Neeka obeyed this time. She took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face. "If you want to leave, I fully expect you to go through the door, not the window", she said sternly when she felt her heart had resumed beating more or less normally. She did not need to deal with an angsty Jedi teenager on top of everything else.

"I was just looking", Neeka mumbled. He seemed to be lost in a fascinating study of the tip of his boots. "Is something going on ?" he asked after an awkward silence.

"No news yet", Breha said. "But it's too early to worry yet - "

She was interrupted by the ringing of the door.

* * *

Funerals are done more for the comfort of the living than for the rest of the dead, but Bail Organa had found very little of either in Padme Naberrie's burial. Oh, he had found anger and regret aplenty, too much of these perhaps. The current Queen of Naboo had led the ceremony but Bail, as a close friend of Padmé and witness of her death, had had to face her family and tell them what happened. It had been terrible to look them in the eye and outright lie to them. Letting them grieve without even the comfort of knowing she lived on through her children. It had been hard. He felt ashamed, like a thief, taking Leia with him and leaving them with only regrets and memories. By the time it was over he could hardly stand to look at himself in a mirror, and it was with great relief that he found himself back on the Sundered Heart and about to leave the system. Naboo was a beautiful place, but Bail dearly hoped that he would not have to set foot there again anytime soon.

As soon as he had come back onboard his ship, he had gone straight to the makeshift nursery, in sickbay, to look at his new daughter - and perhaps in a vain attempt to assuage his guilt at taking her from the only family she had left. Leia moved in her sleep and made some baby noises, and Bail felt the corner of his lips come up. She was barely a day old and he already loved her so much... she was the image of perfection. If she inherited her mother's looks, she would be devastatingly beautiful come her fifteenth birthday. Bail would probably have to hire one or two wookie bodyguards to fend off her suitors... the mental image made him grin.

"She's adorable, isn't she ?" Kenobi's voice made Bail jump a good fifty centimeters.

"Master Kenobi !"

The Jedi chuckled. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

Bail sighed. "Not really your fault. The past few days have been hard on my nerves."

Kenobi nodded. "I'd say you have a right to be jumpy. And it's far from over yet."

"Sadly. Well, we'll be back on Coruscant in a few hours, and hopefully there'll still be something to salvage, politically."

"I can't go to Coruscant", Kenobi said. "Too dangerous. Actually I shouldn't be seen with you."

Bail's mood went down a notch. He had hoped to keep Kenobi with him for a little while longer. "Where will you go ?"

Kenobi's eyes fell on Luke. "Tatooine", he said quietly.

Bail was slightly surprised he would just tell him outright. "Isn't it dangerous for me to know ?" Then the name hit him. "Hold on, Tatooine ? Isn't it a little, er, austere for a child to grow up ? Not to say, unsafe ?"

"One question at a time !" Kenobi protested. "I'm telling you because I need someone to know in case something happens to me, and right now you're one of very few people I consider absolutely trustworthy."

That was high praise indeed, and despite the circumstances Bail felt absurdly pleased.

"And yes, Tatooine isn't the nicest place for a child to grow up, but it's remote. I'd rather Luke grow up bored than not at all. And I'll be there to watch over him just in case."

Bail shook his head in disbelief. "Master Kenobi... Obi-Wan. I understand your wish to keep the children safe, and the Force knows I wouldn't want anything to happen to them, but don't you think it's ridiculous for you to waste away in a place like Tatooine when so many people need you ?" Bail did not miss Kenobi's slight grimace at that reminder and pressed his advantage. "You said Luke will be safe on Tatooine. Fine. Leave him there and come back. I want to make a stand, but I can't do it on my own !" Despite himself he let show some of his frustration, and raised his voice without even realizing it. Leia moaned in her sleep and the two men stilled for a moment. Neither of them was anxious to wake her, because that young lady had already demonstrated to them that she had very healthy lungs. Vociferously so.

"You don't need me", Kenobi said quietly when the child had settled down. "In fact, right now associating with me would do your cause more harm than good. And protecting the children is important, more than you know."

Bail threw up his hands in the air, frustrated. "Why ?! Tell me why, please, Obi-Wan. I'd like to understand and support you, I really would, but I can't if you close up on me."

Kenobi turned to look at him and Bail did not need Jedi powers to feel how troubled he was. "Please don't ask. I have my reasons, Bail, good reasons. If that means anything to you, Yoda knows and approves of my course of action. The twins may well be the key to our future, but that also means I'll have to be patient and wait out the will of the Force."

"The will of the - " Bail cut himself short, disgusted. There were times when he simply did not understand Kenobi, even after years of casual acquaintance. "Please don't use that sort of religious nonsense on me, Obi-Wan. The Force is not sentient. It's not a god. We are the ones who decide our own future, but we cannot do that by running away and hiding."

The words were blunter than Bail had meant them, and he almost regretted them the moment they passed his lips. They hit their target, too, and cut deep, he saw it the way Kenobi's lips thinned and his jaw tensed, but Bail could not, would not take the words back, because he meant every last one of them.

"I'm sorry you feel that way", Kenobi merely said. There was a hint of bitterness in his voice, although he clearly tried to appear neutral and unaffected. Damn his Jedi mask of impassibility. "If you would drop me off at your earliest convenience, Senator, I shall be off your ship."

Bail shook his head, his frustration reaching new heights. He was angry, too, but he did not want to part with Kenobi on such words, with bad feelings between them. Not when this might be the last time they ever saw each other. But it was hard to find the words when he felt so angry and powerless, and he did not want to make it look like he apologized for telling Kenobi the truth.

"Obi-Wan..." he sighed. To hell with it. "Come what may... May the Force be with you."

Kenobi smiled, looking relieved. "And with you, Senator."


	3. Suspicions

**CHAPTER 3**

Breha had never realized just how loud the doorbell was. She shared a look with Sateen - it could be any number of people, but she already felt dread welling up within her. Still, she was not born yesterday and she knew what to do. A good thing she had been too tense to sleep and had had time to prepare for such an eventuality.

She glanced at Neeka. He was looking at her, eyes wide, his mouth half-open as if he meant to say something but could not remember what it was, then he shot a quick calculating look at the window. Oh no, he would not.

"Neeka, I need you to stay here with Sateen. No matter what happens, don't do anything, and let me or Sateen do the talking."

He looked at her pleadingly, eyes scanning her face as if he was looking for something - reassurance ? Breha was too keenly aware of precious seconds ticking by but she took the time to kneel in front of him. "I have a plan", she said, more confidently than she really felt. "It's going to be fine."

He did not believe her completely, she could see it, but he swallowed thickly and nodded. He looked years older than the day before.

Breha could not dawdle any longer so she stood and walked swiftly out of the room without looking back. As she came nearer the hallway she heard stifled voices that grew clearer with every step.

"...diplomatic immunity. If you wish to speak with Senator Organa, I must insist you make an appointment, and of course there can be no question of searching these appartments."

Tarrik was doing his job marvelously, with just the right amount of righteous indignation and haughtiness. Breha could not understand the response, but she did hear a rather irritated male voice in a tone that suggested an argument. Perfect, just the right time for Breha to make an appearance.

"Tarrik", she said languidly as she swept down the hallway, "what is going on here ?"

Tarrik turned to face her, and she saw on the threshold a man in uniform, two other men in white armour behind him. Clones ? She dismissed them from the equation. The officer himself was an auburn-haired man in his late twenties, early thirties, of average height and reasonably good-looking.

"your Highness !" Tarrik exclaimed in feigned surprise. "I'm sorry this has been a disturbance to you. This officer was just leaving."

"Lady Organa, I would appreciate a moment of your time", the officer said in a pained voice.

"Oh, I'm awfully busy - " Breha began.

"Lady Organa, I have here a warrant from the Chancellor himself", the officer interrupted her. He was still polite but there was steel in his voice, and he raised a datapad with the seal of the Republic's highest office clearly visible on it.

Darn. She had thought he might be intimidated because he had sounded hesitant and unsure of himself at first, but he really just was being polite. She had miscalculated. Breha composed a look of polite surprise on her face. "A warrant ? What in heavens for ?"

"To search your appartments and have an interview with you and your household. Perhaps more, should the need arise - but I'm sure it won't." The officer had a cool smile.

Breha gave him a displeased turn of her lips. "And may I know who you are to upset my household when there is already so much chaos ?"

"Captain Ondaru. Pleased to meet you, Lady Organa." He bowed his head with typical military stiffness. "I apologize for the intrusion but this is a matter of state security. May I come in ?"

Well, if it wasn't looking better and better every second. There was no point in denying him entrance, so Breha smiled as graciously as she could and nodded for Tarrik to let the man in. At least he had asked rather than break down the door, so whatever brought him here was circumstancial evidence at worst. Maybe even only presumptions. He stepped inside confidently, followed by the clones... two, four... eight in total. Enough to be intimidating, but they did not outnumber Breha's guard.

"Now", Breha said, "before we continue this conversation I would very much like to know why you want to search our appartments. What could you possibly hope to find here ?"

"We shall see." His smile was disturbing, but Breha refused to be intimidated.

"You realize you are breaking diplomatic immunity", she said starchly. "I hope you have a good reason for it."

He ignored the implied question. "Lady Organa, if you would gather your household in the drawing room while my men conduct their search."

She held out her hand. "I shall be happy to cooperate as soon as I have verified this warrant of yours."

Ondaru looked amused rather than angry, and gave her his credentials without a fuss. "I am pained you would consider me anything less than truthful, but please see for yourself."

"Oh, I don't mean to cast untoward aspersions on your character, Captain", Breha said sweetly. Antagonizing or intimidating him would not work if she had correctly taken his measure but charming him might just work. That, and play for time. Reading the warrant - every last word of it - took a good ten minutes, but Ondaru waited with exquisite patience.

"Everything seems to be in order", Breha said regretfully. "I'm sorry, Captain Ondaru, but surely you understand my surprise. I like to think that my husband and I are upstanding citizens and I hate to think we might somehow be suspected... suspected of what, if I may ask ?"

"I shall be happy to explain myself", Ondaru said, "but perhaps my men could get started ? I'm sure you will want us gone in a timely fashion."

"Far be it from me to obstruct an official investigation. Tarrik, would you gather everyone in the drawing room ? Follow me, Captain."

The drawing room was vast on a planet where space was a rare commodity but it felt crowded with Breha, the two royal aides, Tarrik, Captain Durane and his men, and Neeka. Of course there were not enough chairs for everyone, and it would have been awkward if some had been seated and others not, so everyone remained standing. Breha was fairly certain she had the situation under control, but Neeka was a volatile element. She prayed he was enough of a Jedi to control himself, despite his young age, and that the Captain would dismiss as just a child and not look at him too closely.

His eyes were wide when he was brought in the drawing room with Sateen but he remained mercifully silent. Thank the Force they had had time to groom him into a normal child, at least in appearance - no, thank Captain Durane. She had been a fool to let Neeka's genuine distress convince her to dawdle with the matter of his lightsaber.

"Since everyone is here, I suppose I should explain the situation", Breha said. "This is Captain Ondaru, who is conducting some sort of investigation. The Captain is here with a warrant from the Chancellor, so I urge all of you to cooperate fully with him and his men." Giles Durane gave her a somewhat ironic glance but quickly wiped it off his face.

"Thank you", Ondaru said. "Lady Organa, perhaps you would be so kind as to introduce me to your household ?"

"Of course." Breha's political instincts told her the request was not as innocent as it seemed, but she took it in stride and started to give the names and functions of everyone present. Ondaru seemed to tick them off a list he had on his datapad. "...and this is Sateen Nestswe, royal aide", Breha concluded.

Ondaru nodded. "Yes, very good." His gaze fell on Neeka. "And this young man ?" Neeka paled when the Captain's attention dwelt on him but thankfully he neither moved nor said anything. Too bad she had not had time to brief him on her plans to get him off-planet...

"Oh, that's Kaylan." Breha smiled. "An orphan and refugee. With the war ending, Bail and I wanted to do something for all the people who suffered, and we intend to start a foster program for war orphans. This is the first of many, I hope. The paperwork hasn't come through yet, but it should be sent to me within the next few days." Real fake documents to be precise, put together by the Alderaanian representation at her request after she told them that Kaylan's papers were lost during his transfer from a planet at war. That was the best story she had been able to come up with in such a short time, but it was reasonably convincing.

"An admirable endeavour", Ondaru said politely, and he did not press the matter. "Please let me explain the reason for my presence. First, it should be known that I have been put in charge of the rounding up of the traitorous Jedi in this district."

Breha's blood turned to ice and her heart pumped so hard that her vision grew blurry. She had no idea how she managed to keep a cool exterior. He didn't know anything, he couldn't, or she would already be under arrest. Unless they were just waiting for Bail to be back...

Unaware of the effect he had on her, Ondaru continued, "We have been dealing with the data pertaining to the Jedi Temple, and it appears that Senator Organa stopped there yesterday evening at a late hour." He looked around. "I notice the Senator is not here...?"

"My husband is off-planet at the moment", Breha said. No use denying it, all Ondaru had to do was to check the data for outgoing ships to see the Sundered Heart had left yesterday evening. "But he should be back soon, I know for a fact he wanted to attend the Senate Emergency Response meeting. I'm sure he will be glad to answer any questions you might have then."

"Ah." Ondaru took a few notes on his datapad. "I must confess I'm surprised the Senator would leave Coruscant at such a crucial time. What matter could be so urgent ?"

"It was, in fact, so urgent that he did not have time to give me any details." Breha smiled. "Besides, Coruscant is in good hands with the Chancellor. He did put an end to the Clone Wars, so in a way we're actually safer than before." She hoped she was not laying it on too thick, but Ondaru seemed to appreciate what she was saying.

"Of course, and I'm glad to see someone who understands the efforts made by the Chancellor towards peace. Lady Organa, do you know why your husband stopped at the Temple yesterday evening ?"

Breha bit her lip thoughtfully. "Oh, yes, he mentioned something about that... that's right, I remember. Bail was concerned with the situation and wanted to discuss it with some of the Jedi Masters. A fruitless endeavour to be sure."

"It is known your husband associated with Jedi on a regular basis", Ondaru noted.

"He did", Breha said breezily. He ready admission seemed to startle the Captain. "He did not see their true nature - nobody did, did they ? So he tried to discuss and reason with them, but that never really gave any result despite Bail's best efforts... Now we know why. Who could have suspected ?"

"Did you see Senator Organa after he returned from the Temple ?"

"Only briefly. He stopped by and told me he was going to the Senate."

"Where he never actually arrived", Ondaru pointed out. "Did you notice anything odd when you talked with the Senator ? Did he say anything that could have made you suspicious ?"

Breha tried to look puzzled - it was not too hard. "Suspicious of what, good lord ?"

Ondaru hesitated. "I don't wish to upset you with my assumptions."

"Upset me ? Is it something awful then ?" Breha looked at him earnestly.

"Not so - well - that is..." Ondaru seemed a little uncomfortable. "I do fear for Senator Organa's safety."

That was the last thing she expected and she had no effort to make to look honestly astonished. "But... why ?!"

"If you think about it logically, I'm sure you'll see what conclusions I am drawn to. First, the Senator goes to the Jedi Temple. Then he comes to see you but very briefly and right after that leaves Coruscant. It is quite possible that he may have been taken hostage and be under threat by Jedi who used him to get offplanet. His stopping to see you may well have been his way to say goodbye."

Breha's breath hitched in her throat in relief, and she clutched her heart despite herself. Ondaru completely misinterpretated the sudden sag of her shoulders. "Now, now, Lady Organa, please don't assume the worst. I'm sure the Senator will come out of this situation safe and sound, and the Jedi arrested. There still are a few of these criminals at large, I'm afraid. This is why I had to insist on a search - I had to make sure none of them could be hiding here and threatening you."

"I see..." she could have hugged him, and she had to swallow back her laughter. He had all the clues and had read them entirely backwards. She felt lightheaded and giddy with relief but she did her best to look suitably upset and even went so far as to sway slightly. Tarrik, bless him, caught on and ushered her to a chair. She looked up at Ondaru, who looked at her in dismay. "How dreadful !" Conjuring up tears at will was not nearly as easy as it appeared in holodramas. "But you're not sure this is what happened ? Bail might be alright ?"

"We don't have any certainties at this juncture, of course", Ondaru said, "but what has me concerned is that two well-known traitors, Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, are still missing. They might be among the unidentified dead in the Temple, but the Chancellor himself fears they might already have got away. Senator Organa's sudden departure seems an odd coincidence, especially since he had been in contact with these two Jedi before." He took a look at her tearful appearance and hastily amended, "but I'm sure the Senator is very resourceful and too intelligent to try and be a hero. I'm sure the Jedi won't dare harm him."

Breha was not really concerned about Masters Yoda and Kenobi, but she knew all too well that Palpatine might get rid of Bail and try to blame it on the Jedi, killing two birds with one stone.

At that moment one of the clones - a sergeant according to his shoulder patch - entered the drawing room and saluted smartly. "Our search is concluded, sir ! Nothing suspicious to report, sir !"

"Good", Ondaru said. He dipped his head in Breha's direction. "I am relieved to see that you are safe, Lady Organa. And well protected", he nodded at Captain Durane. "I shall leave you in peace, but I would very much appreciate if you could inform me the moment you have any news of Senator Organa."

"Of course, I shall." Breha offered him what she thought should look like the face of a bereft woman. "And if you learn of anything..."

"You'll be the first to know, Lady Organa." He saluted smartly, gathered his men and in a minute they were gone.

Breha closed her eyes for a second. She felt like she must have aged ten years in ten minutes. Ondaru was not a fool but he certainly was deeply misguided. That played in her favour so far.

"Well if this wasn't - " Sateen started, but Giles Durane shushed her. He looked at Breha and mouthed something. She blink and squinted at him - lip-reading was not her foremost skill. He grimaced and mouthed the words again, this time exaggerating seriously his lip movement.

Listening device !

Of course, he was right. Ondaru's men may have left a few things behind, either to save her or accuse her. Giles gestured silently to indicate he was going to conduct a security sweep and she nodded in agreement. Sateen, Sheltav and Tarrik had followed the exchange and caught on quickly.

"your Highness, what dreadful news !" Sateen said, a little awkwardly. Acting was not her main talent, contrary to Sheltav who delighted in such dramatics. She immediately tried to "comfort" Breha, her choice of word hilariously inadequate at times. Breha did her best to play the frantic wife, having great fun giving Sheltav her cue until Giles came back to announce that no listening devices had been planted. That did not mean Ondaru was not keeping an eye on them, but at least they could talk freely.

"We need to get word to Bail", Breha said.

Giles shook his head. "We have no idea where he is, your Highness."

"I know." She sighed in frustration. "We need to have a message ready for him the moment he gets back, before he even sets foot on Coruscant. He needs to know what's going on."

"I'll take care of that", Tarrik offered.

"Thank you." In the meantime, there was not much to be done, so she dismissed everyone. She was exhausted. Blood pounded behind her eyes and she felt the onset of a terrible headache. She had been up for the better part of two days now, not to mention the stress she had been under, and despite her worry she needed to lie down for a moment.

On the way to her bedroom she bumped into Neeka. She wanted nothing more than her bed but he looked like he wanted to talk to her.

"What's the matter, Neeka ?"

She could not see his face well in the darkness but he looked horribly embarrassed. "Lady Organa, I..." he looked down at his feet, took a deep breath and looked up at her. "I wanted to apologize about my behaviour. I know everything you did was for my safety, and... and... I don't..." he fumbled for words. "I don't want you to think I'm ungrateful."

Breha really did not want to deal with this now but she felt she had to make an effort. "I know you've been through a lot in the past day, Neeka, and as far as I'm concerned I was not offended. But you really should apologize to Captain Durane, since he is the one you hurt." Neeka winced noticeably at the word "hurt".

"Yes, Lady Organa", he said humbly though without any great enthusiasm. "I will."

She smiled at him. What he had done was very wrong but everyone could lose their temper in such a situation, and he was just a child. So long as it did not happen again, she was willing to forget about it. "I'm sure you'll feel better for it. Don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything else."

He understood the unworded dismissal and pulled himself close to the wall so she could pass and get to her room. It was with intense relief that Breha switched off the lights and lay down on her bed. Moments later she was soundly asleep.

* * *

Apologizing to Captain Durane was the last thing Neeka wanted to do, but he had always been taught to bear the consequences of his own actions. It was profoundly humiliating to go to the one person he liked the least in the whole household and apologize to him, but if he was being honest with himself Neeka had to admit he had asked for it. He still felt Durane had not been entirely in the right (he could have hidden the saber instead of destroying it, and he could have asked instead of taking it like a thief) but Neeka's actions were beyond inappropriate.

He was not actually sure what had happened because he had not consciously been trying to hurt the Captain, but he knew the experience had left him with a sickly feeling in his gut. If only he could discuss it with one of the Masters... although if apologizing to Captain Durane was hard, admitting what he had done to the Masters would be even worse. They knew how to look at you with this disappointed expression that told you you had let them down, and it was so much worse than whatever punishment they came up with. At least with a punishment you knew you would be forgiven.

A quick investigation showed that Captain Durane was still in the drawing room, with several of his men. Sateen and Tarrik were nowhere to be seen but Sheltav, seated in a corner, seemed to occupy herself with a datapad. Neeka grimaced - way too many people. But waiting for the Captain to be alone did not seem very practical, in relatively small appartments full of people.

He took a deep breath. _There is no emotion, there is peace..._ there had been far too many emotions in the last twenty-four hours, to tell the truth. _There is no ignorance, there is knowledge... _well, he still did not really have a clue what was going on. _There is no passion, there is serenity... _Hum, not so much of that either. Neeka let out a frustrated sigh. The Jedi mantra always calmed him and helped him center himself before - but he had never really needed it before, not as badly as he needed it now. And now it did not work. Maybe it was wrong. After all the Masters had not seen the destruction of the Temple coming, so they were fallible.

To hell with it. The wait was much worse than just doing it, so he should follow Master Yoda's advice and just do it, and who cared if the whole room watched him humiliate himself ? Neeka stepped in the drawing room and stopped in the middle. Captain Durane was giving his men instructions and ignored him, even when Neeka cleared his throat tentatively. Of course he would not make it easy.

"Captain Durane ?"

Either the Captain did not hear him, or he kept ignoring him.

"Captain Durane ?" Neeka tried, a little louder.

This time the Captain turned and looked coolly at him. "Yes ? I'm busy right now."

Neeka felt a little like snapping at him but knew it would make everything worse, not better. Best to apologize quickly and get out of there. "I understand, sir. I just wanted to apologize for my earlier behaviour. I still..." _don't think you were right_, Neeka stopped himself from saying. "Hum, anyway, I was wrong and I did not mean to hurt you."

Captain Durane pursed his lips and seemed to consider the matter. "Right", he said shortly after a minute. "Just stay out of the way."

Not exactly the reaction Neeka was going for, but he had done what he had to and wanted only to retreat to his room now. Everyone was looking at him and he felt thoroughly humiliated. "Yes sir", he mumbled and left the room as quickly as he could.

He shuffled back to his own room, uncertain what to do. He had nothing to occupy himself with, all of his possessions gone. He had, literally, nothing but the clothes on his back. Throwing himself on the bed he looked up at the roof. It was only mid-morning and he was bored. Neeka sat up on the bed and glanced around him. The room was mostly empty but there was a spare datapad on the bedside table, so he grabbed that. Maybe he could find something to read, but first he wanted to check the news for anything about the Jedi Temple.

Thankfully the datapad was connected to the Holonet, and he did not have to look very hard for the news. Big titles everywhere mentioned both the end of the Clone Wars and the destruction of the Jedi Order, somehow linking the two to make it appear the Jedi had been responsible for the war. A flurry of articles were listed underneath. "_Refugees on Coruscant - What Governmental Measures ?", "Senate Emergency Response to Convene Later Today", "Jedi, Terrorists in Disguise ?", "The End of the Jedi Dictatorship", "What Future for the Clones ?", "Chancellor Promises Employment for Clone Troopers", "Clone Troopers to Be Dedicated to Peacekeeping", "Chancellor Palpatine Declares First Galactic Empire",_ and many, many more.

Neeka read on with increasing disgust all the articles slandering the Jedi. One or two were more nuanced but they were few and far between, and somehow never made it to the front page. The media were clearly biased, although how they had been so powerfully and so universally influenced was hard to imagine. Palpatine was hailed as a hero for ending the war and freeing the Republic from the "deleterious influence of the Jedi". Neeka had to refrain himself from flinging the datapad across the room.

What now ? He sat on the bed dejectedly. He had always known what his future would be. The almost military routine of the Jedi Temple had not left much room for questions or doubts. He had been weeks away from being assigned as a Padawan. a few years later he would graduate as a Knight, go on many adventures - from which he would always emerge victorious - and finally take on his own Padawan. Simple and easy. His biggest worry had been not finding a Master and being cast out, but he knew that with the war casualties the Temple could not really afford to waste potential Jedi, so even that had not worried him unduly.

But now he would never be a Jedi. Heck, he was not even a Padawan yet. So what would become of him ? He was too young to get a job, Senator Organa was right about that. Although further away from the Core, maybe the rules were not so strict on that count... but what kind of job ? He had been groomed to be a soldier and a diplomat, and he had no training in any other profession. Maybe he could be... mecanician ! No, a starfighter pilot ! Or a policeman ! A famous musician ! ...or a cook. The mental image made him snicker. How did normal people decide what their vocation was ?

Neeka sighed and turned on his stomach. The problem was that he did not really want to be anything but a Jedi. Being an Initiate had always made him feel special, chosen. Being ordinary did not hold much appeal compared to that. Too bad the choice was between ordinary and alive or special and dead.

Inaction was killing him. Neeka jumped off the bed and made his way to the kitchen, where he was less likely to bump into Captain Durane. Indeed, he only found Sateen, who was ordering two droids around to get the kitchen in order and lunch ready. She turned and smiled distractedly at him when he entered.

"Oh, hello Neeka."

"Hum, Hello", he said. "I was wondering if I could do something to help ?"

Sateen looked a little surprised but pleased. "Bored in your room, huh ? Well, I was planning on cooking Lady Organa's favourite for lunch, and these droids are great for the dishes but they can't bake to save their lives. I was planning on making a typical Alderaanian cake. Do you want to give me a hand ? Or is it too girly for you ?" She gave him a teasing smile, and Neeka found himself smiling back.

"I'd be happy to help."

Sateen grinned. "Should be an interesting new experience for you. I don't expect you got to do much stuff like that at the Temple."

"Actually", Neeka said, "we did a lot of chores. Laundry, washing the dishes, making the bed, cleaning... that sorta things. Not too much cooking though."

"Really ?" Sateen stared at him in honest surprise, then laughed.

Neeka forgot his Jedi dignity and rolled his eyes. "Does absolutely everyone think Jedi are lazy useless bums ?" he complained.

Sateen frowned. "Why do you say that ?"

Neeka bit his lip. "I, er..." he could not look her in the eyes. "I read the articles on the Holonews", he admitted softly.

"Well, obviously that's all propaganda", Sateen said calmly. She sounded sympathetic but thankfully she did not try to hug him or anything like that, that would have made him accutely uncomfortable.

"But a lot of people believe it", Neeka said. "They blame us for the war. They don't even pause to look at how many Jedi died on the front lines."

"That's just the way people are, Neeka. They are fickle and selfish, and it's hard for them to tell truth from lies. There are many facets to the truth, and propaganda is all about twisting the truth to further one's ends."

"Yeah, I see that", Neeka said bitterly. "I'm just beginning to wonder why the Jedi bothered to try and save everyone in the first place."

"I'm no Jedi, so you're probably in a better position to know the answer to that than I am", Sateen said. She perched herself on a kitchen stool and looked earnestly at him. "But the way I see it, Jedi try to be better and to help people even though they know they might not get much recognition for it. That's a kind of sacrifice that no one ever thinks about, but it's worth a lot when you take a moment to consider it. It means you really care about helping people, rather than your own popularity."

It made sense, actually, but Neeka found it hard to swallow. "So you're saying that in theory I should be ready to help all these people who say awful things about us ? People who're happy that the Jedi got killed ?"

Sateen heaved a deep sigh. "Neeka..." she shook her head. "I'm probably not the best person to have that conversation with, but look, most people just go with the flow. They're not evil, they're not happy to see children killed, but they just don't go out of their way to risk their lives protesting against what happened. Partly because of propaganda, and because they don't want their lives disrupted. It's just the way people are, they're not perfect. I guess the point is you shouldn't judge individuals the way you judge society."

Neeka frowned, not entirely convinced. The issue was a complicated one and he knew he did not see all aspects of it, but there seemed to be something wrong with just forgiving everyone for the destruction of the Temple. "But society is the sum of all individuals, isn't it ?"

Sateen seemed to ponder the issue for a moment, chewing thoughtfully on her lower lip. "Yes and no, because people can be influenced as a group differently than they would be as individuals. When you're in a group, you trade part of your own free will in return for the support of the group, so that there is enough cohesion to act together." She shook her head again. "But it's really a complicated issue, and it's hard even for adults to make sense out of it. Don't concerne yourself too much about it. Maybe the answers will come more easily to you when you're older."

Neeka didn't very much like to be told, essentially, that he was too young to understand, but he was too polite to say as much so he merely nodded.

Sateen brightened. "And now, I think we were about to bake a cake !"

* * *

He had been gone barely two or three days, Bail Organa realized as the Sundered Heart loomed closer to Coruscant, but so many things had happened in that time that it felt more like two or three weeks. He could only hope that the situation had not got too wildly out of hand at the Senate, but either way he knew he had made the right decision. Taking Masters Yoda and Kenobi to safety had been paramount, not to mention saving the life of the twins, if not of Padmé. Bail felt a silly smile on his face, like every time he thought of Leia. He was sure she already knew his voice. He could not wait to show her to Breha.

Someone cleared their throat behind him. "Sir, we are now in orbit and your shuttle is ready."

Bail turned to face Captain Antilles, some cousin or other of Breha's who also happened to be the captain of the Sundered Heart. A good man. "Thank you."

"There is also a message for you, labeled absolute priority, from Lady Organa."

Bail's heart skipped a beat. He could think of a half-dozen catastrophic reasons why Breha would need to send him an urgent message, and only years of political experience allowed him to keep steady. "I'll read it now, Captain, thank you."

Antilles handed him a datapad, and Bail opened the message. It required voice recognition in addition to his personal codes, a clear sign that something serious was afoot. He skimmed through the message quickly, barely understanding a single word at first, then a second time more slowly, and a third, and finally sighed in relief. No harm done so far. He had to smile at the notion that this Captain Ondaru thought he might have been abducted by Jedi, although the guess was frighteningly accurate but for a few details. A few details that might save Bail's life.

"Delay my shuttle by half an hour", Bail ordered, still deep in thought. He would have to brief the crew before he left the Sundered Heart. He was not too concerned about their loyalty, Durane had hand-picked every single one of them, but he had to give them an official story in case there was a full enquiry.

In the end it took a full hour, rather than thirty minutes, but by the time he left the Sundered Heart Bail was satisfied his cover story was good enough. From what Breha had told him he would have to schedule an interview with Ondaru, but that could wait. Instead he had his shuttle take him directly to the Senate, where he was admitted after his credentials were thoroughly checked by security several times. Bail went to the Nubian pod, rather than the Alderaanian one. He knew Queen Apailana had arrived before him, since he had been delayed by the necessity to discreetly drop off Master Kenobi, so she could brief him.

He was let in almost immediately and sat discreetly beside Queen Apailana, not eager to draw too much attention to himself.

"Your Highness", he said softly.

She did not look away from the Chancellor's pod in the center of the Senate, but acknowledged his presence with a nod. "Senator Organa", she said in a low voice, barely moving her lips, "I am relieved to see you safe and sound."

"Thank you, your highness, but I was not in much danger."

"You minimize your own courage. Helping... you-know-who... put you at serious risk. But I won't embarass you further by dwelling on the subject."

Bail reported his attention to the Chancellor - he could not bring himself to calling him "Emperor" yet - at the center of the room. The man's frame looked deceptively frail and old, leaning heavily on a cane, his face obscured under a hood. "What have I missed ?"

"There has been one motion to bring back the Republic", Apailana said, "but it received little support and was suddenly withdrawn. I strongly suspect coercion was involved but of course there is no proof."

"Of course", Bail murmurred. "What else ?"

Despite her young age Apailana had an impressive control of herself, and the only thing that betrayed her anger and frustration was the way her right hand clutched at the armrest of her seat, with unnecessary strength. "The Chancellor has been announcing a number of new measures, for the greater good and the safety of all, so that order may be restored in the galaxy." There was barely an ironic inflexion in her voice. "No vote was called, of course. We're already little more than a consultative body."

If the Senate was already stripped from any actual power, things were even worse than Bail had thought. In one masterful stroke, Palpatine had completely turned the tables in his favour. If he was not such a despicable man Bail could have admired such masterful manipulation.

"There's nothing we can do then", he said, and wondered why he had been in such a hurry to reach the Senate. He had definitely made the right choice by helping Kenobi and Yoda.

"All we can do for now is survive and preserve our influence, as much as we can", Apailana said quietly. "Bide our time. People will make a stand, I'm sure of it. Maybe not on Coruscant, but elsewhere. And when they do, we must be in a position to help."

"Maybe we should resign from the Senate", Bail said. "In protest."

"I don't think that would work. If Valorum was still in power, maybe. Valorum may have been misguided but he was a good man. But Palpatine would just seize this opportunity to further reduce the Senate's power."

"But by staying we appear to support Palpatine's policies", Bail said.

"That's true." Apailana stared off in the distance. She was so young and she appeared so much older even beneath the thick layer of make-up... "In the end we have to choose the lesser of two evils."

"Whatever we do, we play in Palpatine's hand", Bail said glumly. "Now that he writes the rules we have few chances of beating him at his own game."

The end of the session came soon after, and Bail headed back to his appartments. He was dying to see Breha and tell her about Leia. He had not dared bring the infant down on Coruscant so he had left her onboard the Sundered Heart, but he did have a few holo-pictures of her sleeping or holding his thumb in her hand.

Breha was outside on the landing strip before the airspeeder had even landed, and the moment Bail stepped outside she hugged him. He hugged her back and revelled in the smell of her hair, in her hands around his back, and in her smile when she finally looked up at him.

"You shouldn't have worried", he said, even though he had been just as worried.

"You either", she said teasingly, and he grinned.

"Breha, I have so many things to tell you ! But let's get inside, shall we ?"

There was always a lot of wind so high up, although at least they got some natural light most of the time - except when the clouds were too thick with pollution. Bail and Breha hurried back inside, where Bail dropped in the nearest seat and sprawled out his legs, happy to relax a little.

"Well", Breha began, "if you got my letter you already know most of what happened here while you were gone, so it's your turn."

"Heavens, Breha, I barely know where to start", Bail admitted. "I met up with - " he glanced around him reflexively, hesitant to even speak the name of a Jedi out loud.

Breha waved a hand dismissively. "We swept the room for listening devices. Three times."

"Oh. Good. Well, I escorted Master Yoda off-planet and met up with Master Kenobi."

"He's alright, isn't he ?" Breha asked. She had met Kenobi a few times and Bail knew she was fond of him although she did not know him as well as he did.

"Yes, yes, never fear." Bail felt his expression darken. "But Padmé is..." he trailed off. He had not meant to say it so bluntly, but judging from Breha's expression she had already guessed.

"My goodness... she was so young... what happened ?"

"She died in childbirth", Bail said, "but she was already unwell when Master Kenobi brought her in. I'm not sure what happened. Obi-Wan... Master Kenobi said she was killed by one of Palpatine's men, but he did not give me much details. I didn't press him, he was crushed by her death. I know he was very fond of her, and I think he blamed himself for not protecting her."

"Whatever happened, it couldn't have been his fault", Breha murmurred.

Bail shrugged. "You know the Jedi. Bloody martyrs, the lot of them." He could not contain all of his frustration at the decisions made by Yoda and Kenobi to withdraw from the galaxy when they were so needed.

"So what happened then ?" Breha asked, tactfully not pressing the issue.

"There wasn't much to do. We brought Padmé back to Naboo, that's the least we could do. The burial was a little hasty, but there was no time, and it went alright in the end. The Queen made a very moving speech."

Breha sighed. "Still, this is so sad. Padmé..." she shook her head. "I still can't believe it. And to lose the child as well, what a terrible blow for her family..."

Bail braced himself. "Ah, about that..."

There must be something in his voice because Breha looked at him more closely. "What ?"

Bail cleared his throat. "The..." he trailed off and glanced around. The staff had been thoughtful enough to give them some privacy so the drawing room was empty, but even so he bent closer to Breha to whisper the truth in her ear. Breha's eyes grew progressively wider as he went on and he felt her stiffen in his arms. When he was done he drew back and waited for her reaction. He had not realized until now how much her approval would mean to him, but the shock was serious and for a long moment she just stared at him, speechless.

"I'm sorry I didn't consult with you beforehand", Bail said nervously. "There wasn't much time."

"But..." Breha fumbled for words. "What about her family ? Don't they have a right to..."

"Yes." Bail sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Of course they do. But it would be dangerous. Master Kenobi has not explained as much to me as I would have liked, but he was certain that, should Palpatine learn of what I just told you, they would be in grave danger."

Conflicting emotions played on Breha's face. Doubt, desire, regret, anxiety all came and went, but Bail could not tell how she really felt about the issue. "Breha ? Say something", he pleaded.

Desire seemed to win the battle. "Can I see the pictures ?"

Bail had to swallow back a victorious grin. The moment Breha saw Leia, he was sure she would fall in love with her. He handed her the little handheld holocube, and Breha played the different shots of Leia sleepîng, Leia eating, Leia playing with Bail's fingers...

"How adorable", she breathed.

"She is", Bail agreed with his patented silly smile.

"And so small... look at that little nose ! And what a wonderful smile she has !"

"Yes", Bail said. His silly grin widened even more. Breha looked up at him and snickered.

"Oh, I see. She's going to be daddy's girl. Don't you think I'll let you spoil her too much, mister !"

"I wouldn't do anything of the sort", Bail said, draped in imaginary dignity.

"Oh, Bail..." Breha snuggled against him. "I can't tell if it's right or wrong, but I do so want her to be my daughter..."

"It's not wrong." He held her closely against him. "We're going to be very good parents, and one day we'll tell her the truth. Then, when it's safe, she can meet with her family."


	4. The Scheme

**A/N :** Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Really appreciate it guys. I hope you keep enjoying the story.

Sorry my guest reviewer found it too slow going - the "action/adventure" tag might be misleading but it seemed appropriate. But yeah, there's a lot of talking and thinking and not that much lightsaber waving in this story, consider yourselves duly warned.

* * *

**CHAPTER 4**

Dinner was a quiet and unformal affair. Bail was reminded of Neeka's presence when he saw the boy sitting with Sateen at the table, although he looked much different from before - gone were his braid, lightsaber and Jedi clothes, leaving an ordinary child in its stead. Ordinary in appearance only, from what Breha had told him, but since no harm had been done and Neeka had apologized Bail had decided against bringing up the matter again. What weighed more heavily on his mind was how he was going to get the boy off-planet and to Alderaan discreetly but it turned out that Breha, bless her, had already come up with a plan, which she explained to them after dinner.

"The war has made a lot of refugees", she explained. "We'd already talked about helping refugees settle down on Alderaan, and I thought it'd be the perfect cover. I'll gather orphans and foster them and Neeka will just be another one of them. The lack of official documents can easily be explained by the state of chaos many planets are in because of the war, and I already had new papers drawn up." Breha held up a brand new ID card with Neeka's photo on it and handed it to him.

The boy stared at the card in wonder. "Kaylan Kadaris", he read the name written at the top.

"That's your new name", Breha said. "Sorry I couldn't consult you about it, but it all had to be done in a hurry. If anyone asks you're from Ancella, and were evacuated after your parents died."

"But what if people ask questions about Ancella ?" Neeka objected. "I've never been there."

In Bail's opinion the problem lay more in the boy's distinctive Coruscanti accent but there was nothing to be done about that.

"That's why I expect you to read up on Ancella", Breha said, and handed him a datachip. "You can read that with the datapad in your room, there's general information about the planet and about your fictitious life before the war. If people press the issue you can also tell them that it's too painful to talk about."

Neeka made a face although he quickly wiped it off his face. "I'll do my best." He hesitated. "Thank you for all the trouble you're going to."

Bail smiled to put him more at ease. "Well, considering how many times Jedi helped me out, you can consider that I'm only paying them back. Speaking of which, I have a message for you from Master Kenobi, but we'll get to that later... please, Breha, go on."

"I was pretty much done actually. I've already begun to put together that fostering program, and as soon as we have enough refugees we can do a first trip to Alderaan."

Bail kissed her swiftly on the cheek. "And I consider myself lucky to have married such a clever woman."

She smiled and playfully kissed him back... on the nose. "I try to keep up."

Bail turned to Neeka. "I told Master Kenobi that you are alive and well, and he was very happy to hear it. He could not record a message because it would be too dangerous, but his instructions for you are to stay safe and lie low for the time being. He says you should continue your Jedi exercises, especially meditation - "

Neeka made a face. Visibly, meditation was not his favourite subject. Not that Bail blamed him.

" - but only when it is safe to do so."

Neeka looked disappointed. "So he..." he hesitated. "Master Kenobi does not want me to join him ?" he tried not to show him but Bail could see the quivering lower lip and the painful swallowing. He could understand Neeka's feelings. As a fellow Jedi Kenobi was pretty much the only family he had left, and he did not want him by his side. The boy was bound to feel rejected.

"It would be dangerous", Bail said kindly. "And Master Kenobi's hiding place is not very suited to a boy your age." He spared a painful thought for Luke, condemned to grow up on that hellhole of a planet. "I think Master Kenobi would be happy to have you with him, but he daren't risk it, not with so few of you left."

"But... who will teach me ?"

Bail let out a sigh. "No one", he admitted. "There's no one left in a position to teach you." He hesitated only slightly before adding, "but there are many other things you can learn. You don't have to be a Jedi. You can be anything you want."

Neeka looked a little dazed and daunted by the prospects laid to him by Bail, and Bail took pity on him. "Listen, Neeka, you don't have to decide anything right now. In a few days you'll go to Alderaan and you can start a new life. You'll have a lot of time to decide what you want to do."

"I guess", Neeka mumbled. Of course, for someone meant to be a Jedi, the possibility to be a schoolteacher or a merchant was probably not all that appealing.

"Why don't you go to your room", Breha suggested, "and read up on Ancella ? Try and get used to your new name, and remember your new birthday, that sort of things. Like a secret agent." She smiled. "That's what you'll be, essentially."

Neeka nodded heavily. "Yes ma'am. I'll do that." He disappeared obediently in the direction of his room. Bail turned back to Breha.

"I gathered from your letter that it's not always been easy with him..."

Breha grimaced. "Well, to be fair he was not being purposefully difficult, and he's been through a lot. The only thing that really frightened me is when he did... whatever it was he did to Captain Durane."

Bail shrugged. He remembered some of the things that had happened on Zigoola, during that first mission with Kenobi, and he thought he had a rather good idea what Breha had witnessed. But Kenobi had pulled through and Bail was willing to bet that Neeka would, as well.

"I wouldn't read too much into it", he said. "He was probably not even aware of what he was doing."

"Yes", Breha said dryly, "that's what I'm concerned about."

That was a fair point. "It's no use worrying now." Bail kissed her on the cheek. "We can but hope he'll manage to control himself when he isn't under so much pressure. That said, are you sure about this foster program scheme ? Surely there would be easier ways to smuggle him off planet... I could just get him through customs with my diplomatic immunity and we don't need to explain anything to anyone."

"Yes", Breha said after she took a sip of wine, "but first off, I really do want to put together that fostering program, and it has nothing to do with Neeka. It's bad enough when adults suffer because of war, but children... I think they deserve a second chance and I think someone in my position, with the means to do something, has no excuse to remain inactive. I couldn't live with myself if I did not at least try to do something for them. And since this provides us with the perfect cover story, it would be silly not to use it. If Palpatine's lackeys come sniffing around, this way we can always tell them we didn't know anything. If you smuggle Neeka out, it'll make it obvious that you're hiding something and it'll be that much harder to claim ignorance."

"And you're right, as usual." Bail smiled tiredly and he plucked the glass from her fingers to take a sip of wine for himself. "Fine, we'll do it your way. I'll let you put this together however you like... and in the meantime we'll have to decide what to do with Neeka once on Alderaan, because I'm stumped. We can't very well foist him up on a random foster family without any warning what they're getting into."

"And telling them means that we have to trust them to a remarkable extent", Breha observed. "Yes, it certainly is a conondrum. Either way I was thinking we shouldn't send him too far away from us. I thought we could foster him ourselves but it's a little too high profile... though we could say we're just showing the right exemple to our fellow citizens. But he might need more attention than we're in a position to give him."

Bail sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I suppose we'll have to draw up a list of suitable families who live not too far from the palace on Alderaan."

"Hmm." Breha tickled him playfully. "But we can do that tomorrow."

"Oh..." Bail raised an eyebrow. "Did you have something else in mind for tonight, your highness ?"

Breha's lifted her eyebrows suggestively. "Find out for yourself."

* * *

Breha kept herself busy during the next few days with her foster project, and soon became very involved in it. The war had remained a rather abstract notion to her until now, even though she was well aware of its implications ; but to know about it and to see the genuine distress of torn families were two different things. Meeting up with refugees, going through medical centers with rows upon rows of maimed victims only reinforced her desire to act positively.

Bail had left her entirely in charge of the project, with his blessing ; he was too busy with his senatorial functions to involve himself much into the proceedings, but Breha told him about it every evening, usually after he was done complaining about the way the Senate was now being run.

"You know", she said one evening, "I was thinking perhaps we _should _set an exemple."

"Hmm ?" Bail looked up from the report on the armament commission he was reading. "What do you mean by that ?"

"About the orphan refugees", Breha said patiently. "We should set an exemple, show our people that we are not asking anything from them that we would not be willing to do ourselves."

"You mean take one of them ?" Bail had obviously not entertained the notion before. "But we already have Leia !"

"That's not the same thing." Breha had to refrain herself from rolling her eyes. "We're adopting Leia, but here we're talking about fostering. Most of these orphaned children are older, many of them in their early teens, and they obviously cannot be adopted in a family the same way an infant would. We're asking people to foster them, that is to say to give them a home and a stable life, but not to adopt them. A little like taking in a cousin, if you like."

"Oh." Bail rubbed his chin. "I see. Well... I don't know. I'd like to think about it. I'm not against the idea, but I don't think we should rush into anything when we don't even know how things are going to work with Leia..."

"Of course", Breha said, though she was a little disappointed. But it was a little unfair of her to drop the idea on Bail and expect him to jump at it, when she herself already had had days to consider it. "Anyway, we already have about twenty orphans at the center here on Coruscant, who were evacuated from their homeworld in the past few months."

"So few ? When you started this I thought you'd have more requests than you could handle."

"Well, it's not that simple", Breha said with a slight grimace. She had been though enough heaps of paperwork in the past few days to know just how not simple it all was. "You see, my program can only apply to children who have no remaining living relatives, or whose relatives have expressly stated that they will not take them in. Considering the chaos reigning on these children's homeworlds right now, the paperwork takes a great deal of time to come through, and that's when we still have archives to work with. So there are a lot of children refugees here on Coruscant, but very few of them fit the requirements." She sighed. "It's hard going to all these temporary shelters and see so much misery, and know that I can help only a handful of these people."

"But you are doing something", Bail said quietly. "If everyone devoted as many efforts to this cause as you do, we'd be getting somewhere."

"To be fair, not everyone is in a position to help. Not everyone has money to give or political influence. And it's also true that there are a lot of volunteers working in these shelters for free." Breha shook her head. "I am just frustrated, don't pay attention."

"What matters is that your project is moving forward in a timely fashion, so we can go back to Alderaan", Bail smiled, "and then you can get buried under some more paperwork trying to find homes for all these children."

"Good grief !" Breha found herself laughing. "What a way to lift my mood, why, Bail, thank you ! But we should be ready to depart soon, that much is a relief. I'll appoint someone to keep running the program on Coruscant when I'm not there, and I'd say within a few days we'll be on our way."

"So soon ?" Bail raised his eyebrows. "Good. I can't stay away from Coruscant too long but I need to take a break before I pull out all of my hair."

"I was thinking about taking Neeka to the Center tomorrow. It's better to keep him with the other children so he attracts less attention."

"You think it's safe to leave him on his own ?"

Breha nodded. "Hm-hm. He's been well-behaved these past few days, and his behaviour the first day can be blamed on the stress he was under. He's perfectly aware of the risks and I'm sure he'll be careful. He's assimilated his new identity very well, I had Sateen quizz him." She giggled at the memory. "She was giving him chocolate biscuits every time he got an answer right."

Bail appeared thoughtful for a second, before he snapped back to reality. "I trust your judgment in this, and I don't think he would do anything to jeopardize the operation... I was more worried that he might slip up without meaning to. You know he won't behave with other children the way he behaves with us."

Breha shrugged. "That's to be expected, but I think Jedi children have to be more mature than most. Besides, we don't have a choice."

"True enough. How did he react when you told him you'd be taking him to the Center ?"

"Ah..." Breha had an embarrassed smile. "I may have forgotten to mention that to him." Bail's look turned incredulous. "Well, I didn't want him to worry about it all night long", she defended herself, "so I'll just tell him tomorrow morning."

Bail snorted. "That'll go over well."

"Necessity rules", Breha said firmly. "Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to come along ? That way you can visit the Center and see what it looks like ?"

"What time are you planning on going ?"

"Oh, sometime after lunch."

"Hmm..." Bail glanced at his datapad. "I suppose I could stop there before going to the Senate."

"Marvelous !" Breha yawned. "Sorry, long day. I keep having to go back and forth between the Central Administration Archives and the Liaison Office for the Separatist planets, and..." she yawned again. "I think I'm going to bed. Are you coming ?"

"In a little while", Bail glanced at his datapad. "I have a little more homework to do first." He leant forward to kiss her quickly. "I know we're not spending much time together but I'll make it up to you on Alderaan."

"That'd better be a promise." Breha stood and lay her hands on his shoulders, enjoying for a fleeting moment the warmth of his skin and the way his muscles moved under her fingers. "I'll just read a little and then sleep."

"I'll try not to wake you." Bail reached for her hand and rubbed it with his thumb. "Tempting though the thought may be."

* * *

Neeka awoke from a sleep filled with nightmares with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He did not know why exactly, but the Force whispered to him that something was going to happen that he was not going to like. Of course, with that sort of helpful, precise warning it was no wonder the Masters could not foresee their own demise.

Hiding in bed was not going to help so he reluctantly got up and shuffled to the bathroom. Peeking at his own reflection in the mirror, he noticed that the burn on his face was finally healed, with a scar in a jagged pattern on the side of his left eye. Well, he could live with a scar, at least it did not hurt anymore.

Discarding his pajamas, Neeka showered and dressed. He was still used to the Temple discipline so he woke up very early everyday, and he had learnt to wait at least until seven thirty before going to the kitchen for breakfast. Sometimes he used that time for meditation or exercise, but today he felt too tense to really relax as much as meditation required. Instead he read the morning news, and his mood plummeted further when he was subjected to the very graphic rendition of a Jedi's execution that happened the past night. That was Tehanna, a Padawan he had been acquainted with when she was a youngling. He almost retched at the explicit pictures of her body, almost carbonized all over by blaster fire and after a hundred and fifty stories fall. He switched off the news and had to center himself for five good minutes before he felt well enough to go to the kitchen for breakfast, his appetite all but dead.

Lady and Senator Organa were not there yet, they usually came in around eight, but the rest of the household was and Neeka picked his usual seat at the corner of the table, as far as physically possible from Captain Durane, who had not really warmed up to him in the past days. Sateen glanced at him when he sat beside her and shook her head.

"You know, when I was your age I took every opportunity to sleep in. In fact, that's what most children do. You should take advantage of it before you start school."

"School ?" Neeka stopped reaching for the toasts and stared at her. Him ? Going to school ? As in a normal school with normal children ?

Sateen looked amused. "You haven't finished your education, so it's a safe bet you'll be going to school, yes."

"But..." Neeka trailed off. He was not sure how he felt about that. He had liked going to class (mostly) at the Temple, but a normal school was probably very different. Probably boring, too, if they could not use the Force. Then again, there might not be a meditation class, which would be quite all right by him.

Sateen seemed to feel that she had perturbed him. "Don't worry about it too much", she said brightly. "You can deal with it when the time comes."

Neeka reached again for the toast but with much less enthusiasm. In the past few days he had managed not to think about his future, clinging instead to the present in a way that would make Master Yoda proud, but he knew he could not avoid it forever. It was like flying a battleship into a blackhole. He could close his eyes to not see the black hole but he would still be dead at the end of the day.

By the time Lady and Senator Organa arrived, Neeka had finished his breakfast and was hanging around only for lack of anything better to do, and also in the slight hope that Sateen would have a little time later on for a game of strat-tac.

"Oh, there you are, Neeka", Lady Organa said brightly. "Up early as always, I see. I need to talk to you after breakfast."

The sinking feeling in Neeka's stomach worsened and he regretted going for that third piece of toast, but he nodded dutifully. He waited with some anxiety as the breakfast table slowly cleared until only he, Lady Organa and Senator Organa remained. They were mostly done too, with Lady Organa taking her time to sip at her juice, and Neeka's attention wandered.

"So, how are things going for you Kaylan ?"

It took a minute for Neeka's brain to send an alarm signal. Lady Organa had not raised her voice, or even looked in his direction. A test, he realized.

"Good, thank you Lady Organa", he said, rather proud of himself for catching it.

She shared a look with Senator Organa and smiled back at him. "Very good. A slight delay in answering but nothing awful."

"The poor boy was distracted, Breha", Senator Organa said, sounding slightly amused. "Don't be too harsh on him."

"Well, it's important to be sure he has it right", Lady Organa replied, then turned back to Neeka. "You already know we've been working on a way to get you off-planet, and you know I plan on smuggling you out with other war orphans."

Neeka nodded to show he was listening with all due attention.

"The time has almost come to leave Coruscant and you need to mingle with the other children in the program."

Neeka winced slightly at the word "children". He didn't like that word. After all he would soon be thirteen, so technically he was almost a teenager.

"So, I'll be taking you to the Center this afternoon."

What ? Neeka's brain finally caught up with what Lady Organa had been saying and he felt anxiety wash all over him, with a swirl of conflicting feelings. He was relieved that they were finally moving rather than waiting, but at the same time he knew very well that when he left Coruscant was when the newly formed Empire would have the most chances to get him. And mingling with other kids was not something he was looking forward to either. He had grown up with Force-sensitives and he had no idea what to do around normal kids. It was a safe bet that they would not play the same games, or follow the same codes and rules that had been ingrained in him since birth. In a word, they were a complete unknown, and that... well, not frightened him, right ? Jedi were not frightened. But he might be a little worried.

"Neeka ?" Lady Organa said tentatively.

"Yes, ma'am", he said reflexively, his mouth dry.

"It will only be for a short while", she said with a reassuring smile. "If everything goes as planned you'll be off this planet tomorrow, or in the next few days, depending on how fast we process the paperwork. And Bail and I will also be on the ship, so if you have any problem you can come to us."

"The..." Neeka cleared his throat. "The Center you mentioned, who runs it ?"

"It's a Togrutan called Tohru Andala", Lady Organa said. "She has very good credentials and was recommended to me by a number of people. I've worked with her in the past few days and she's very professional."

"Does she know about me ?" Neeka was not sure what he wanted the answer to be. If she knew, she might be an ally - but she might also turn him in. He trusted the Organas, but he was not sure about trusting anyone else after what he had seen in the Temple.

"No", Lady Organa said. "It's best that as few people as possible know, in everyone's best interests."

Hard to argue with that. "And the other children ? Who are they ?"

Lady Organa smiled. "War orphans, most of them."

"I know, but I meant..."

She laughed. "I'm afraid that if you want specifics, Neeka, you'll have to find out by yourself when you meet them."

Not helpful. Neeka wanted to make a face but instead he nodded politely. "I understand", he said, but he could not keep back a dejected sigh. Whatever the Center was like, he was fairly certain he would not like it... and then he thought about the past few days and almost snorted at himself. He should be grateful to be still alive, rather than complain about the accomodations. He looked more serenely at Lady Organa. "I'll go and pack my clothes then..." he hesitated. "Unless you want them back..."

Lady Organa rolled her eyes at him while Senator Organa bit his lips not to laugh - Neeka saw him. "Good grief, no, Neeka, these are yours of course."

He had expected as much, but was wary to take anything for granted. "Thank you ma'am", he muttered and left quickly.

The morning passed all too quickly, it seemed. Before Neeka knew it, it was lunch time, and then time to go, and his apprehensions grew. This would probably be the last time he saw Senator and Lady Organa before leaving Coruscant. From now on he would be Kaylan Kadaris, a war orphan with no connection whatsoever to the Jedi. He felt very unimportant as he sat in the airspeeder, then walked to the Center behind the Organas.

The Center was made up of an entire floor on the 327th floor of the Corusad building, high enough to be reasonably safe but low enough to not be too fancy. Even so, it must be quite costly, and it made Neeka realize anew how dedicated the Organas were to this project although he was still puzzling out _why_ they cared so much. Probably for the same reason they helped him - because they were good people at heart. Strange to think that people like that still existed, after the way the Jedi had been gleefully and maliciously crushed under the approving eyes of a majority.

A Togrutan was waiting for them, probably Tohru Andala herself, and she bowed her head with an engaging smile to welcome them.

"Lady Organa, a pleasure as always." Her voice was light and musical. "And Senator Organa, it is an honour to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine", Senator Organa said politely. "Breha was very satisfied with the way you've been running the Center, especially in such a short amount of time."

Andala nodded. "I'm honoured she chose me. It's wonderful when one's work is also a way to better society. I find that very fulfilling." She looked at Neeka. "And this must be our latest addition ?"

"Yes indeed", Lady Organa smiled. "This is Kaylan Kadaris. I sent you the paperwork this morning."

Andala thought for a second. "Ah, yes, I remember." She smiled at Neeka. "You're very welcome here, young man."

"Er, thank you ma'am", Neeka said nervously. He still did not feel entirely at ease with his new identity, and he was not in tune enough with the Force to use it all the time to soothe himself.

"I assume you would like to tour the Center", Andala added, adressing the Organas. "And Kaylan can come along to see his temporary accomodations, if everyone is agreeable."

Everyone agreed and the tour began. Tohru Andala proved to be a pleasant conversationalist, who never allowed for awkward silences, and she spoke of the whole operation with a passion that left no doubt as to her dedication. She took them through the hall to the refectory, which was empty at the moment, then to the dormitory - empty as well at this time of day.

"We try to keep the children occupied", Andala explained, "but we don't have the personnel to set up classes so most of the time it's free activities under adult supervision. We also organize some sports games to allow them to spend their energy and to encourage group activities. And since most of these children come from planets that were at war and have been through much, we hired a psychologist to conduct evaluations, so that every child may receive the care they need. I'm very satisfied with Jalem so far. We also hired a doctor, an Ithorian called Panek. He's in his last year of medical studies and was looking for part-time employment, so that suited our needs perfectly. We give every newcomer a medical examination. Almost all of the children come from other planets so we have to control the microbes and bacteria they might bring with them, that might be harmful."

Neeka listened in growing horror. A psychologist ? How would his cover hold under that kind of scrutiny ? Not to mention the medical evaluation - did they check for midichlorians ? They did so routinely at the Temple. Oh Force, Force, Force, what was he going to do ? He could not stay at the Center. Surely the Organas would see that. He sent a pleading look toward Lady Organa, but her only answer was a patronizing smile, probably meant to be reassuring. Neeka shook his head frantically while pointing discreetly at Andala, who was giving some more details to Senator Organa. Lady Organa edged closer to him.

"There's nothing to fear, Nee... Kaylan", she murmured.

"What about the psychological evaluation ?" Neeka whispered furiously back. "It's too risky ! And if the doctor tests my blood he might find out that I'm a..." he cut himself short before he said _the _word.

"I'm sure it'll be fine", Lady Organa said softly. "I've given Tohru very specific instructions to call me if anything is amiss."

"But - "

"N - Kaylan." Lady Organa's tone was still soft but very firm. "I understand that you have good reasons to be worried. But this is the way it has to be. It's our best shot to get you off Coruscant. Bail and I are doing our best to help you, and I'm sorry if everything is not going the way you'd like, but circumstances rule."

Neeka swallowed thickly. This was as close to a rebuke as Lady Organa had ever come, and it made him feel like a childish brat. There was clearly nothing to do but go along with the plan, at this point, so he nodded albeit with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

Senator Organa and Tohru Andala were finishing their conversation about some monetary details and the direction in which to take the fostering program.

"...and I understand your vision", Andala was saying, "but it seems to me we would be more efficient if we worked in relation with other planets, instead of only sending the children to Alderaan. Your generosity is very commendable and inspiring, of course, but the ressources of Alderaan will allow only for so many placements in foster families. I'm reasonably certain that planets such as Naboo would be willing to become part of the program, if you allow me to contact them in your name."

"That's an interesting idea", Senator Organa said thoughtfully. "To be honest I did not realize Breha's project was going to reach such a scope, but it's worth considering all possibilities. What do you think, Breha ?"

"Actually, I think it's a wonderful idea", Lady Organa said. "I hadn't thought of it but of course it makes sense that other planets may be interested in helping out. In fact I think we should send information about the project to all members of the Senate."

"Maybe not all of them", Senator Organa sounded amused. "I can't imagine myself sending war orphans to be fostered on Nar Shaddaa, to quote but one exemple. Perhaps we could start communication with the diplomatic representations most likely to participate, such as Naboo. When we have the support of several systems it might be worth making a public announcement, but let's wait until then."

"Quite right", Tohru Andala agreed. "There is no need to rush, especially since the paperwork takes so much time. We are far from overreaching our supplies as of yet."

"I suppose so", Lady Organa nodded. "Besides, in any case we'll be taking this one group to Alderaan in the next few days, tomorrow if all the authorizations come through, so there is time."

Senator Organa glanced at his chrono. "Well, all this is very good. I don't mean to be rude but I do have to go to the Senate and I'm running late."

"Of course", Tohru Andala said quickly. "The tour is almost over anyway, we only have the playing areas to see, if you care to see the children you are helping."

"I can spare five more minutes for that", Senator Organa allowed.

"There is one more thing", Tohru Andala said as she led them along a coridor. "Since our operations are growing, and likely to grow more before the need for the Center disappears, I was wondering if I may hire an assistant."

"Of course, if you feel the need", Lady Organa said. "I certainly have no objection."

"Thank you." Tohru Andala looked very relieved - the matter had obviously been weighing on her mind. "Well, here is the playing area."

They heard the children before they saw them, shouts and laughs and the echo of a ball hitting the walls. When Tohru Andala opened the door they saw a very wide room, that had been arranged like a garden with pseudo-natural light and a holographic imitation of the sky. There were even plants framing the walls, that gave the place a rather cheerful appearance but Neeka barely paid attention to those details, more interested in the children with whom he would be sharing quarters for the days to come.

They were of all ages and species, some of them Neeka had never even heard of, though a majority seemed human at least in appearance. The youngest may be two or three, while the oldest were teenagers, some older than Neeka. In fact he was only a little older than the average, most of the children appearing to be eight to ten years old. A few of them were animatedly chasing after a ball while others read or played board games. Two adults, one human and the other twi'lek, kept an eye on them. A few of the children were staring at Senator and Lady Organa, and Neeka, but most of them ignored them in favour of their games.

"It's nice to see children happy despite the circumstances", Breha said. "I think I could stay and watch all day."

"Unfortunately we don't have that luxury, or at least I don't", Senator Organa said with a smile, but he too looked at the children with longing. "I really must be off. Thank you for the tour, Mrs. Andala, it was most interesting and I must agree with Breha that you are doing an outstanding work here."

"Thank you, Senator", Tohru Andala said brightly. "I am very pleased to have gained your approval."

"I'll be off as well", Breha said. "I have more paperwork to deal with at home. Kaylan, goodbye. I'm sure you'll have fun with other children your age. I'll see you on the ship to Alderaan."

"Thank you, Lady Organa", Neeka said formally despite the gnawing fear in his stomach, "Senator Organa. I look forward to seeing you again."

Senator Organa gave him an encouraging grin. "I'm sure you'll be fine on your own."

The Senator's trust was heartwarming, though Neeka could not help but feel a little abandonned when they left. Tohru Andala waved the human caretaker over and murmured a few words to him, before leaving with the Organas to show them the way out.

"Hello, Kaylan", the caretaker said kindly. He was a human with long brown hair gathered up in a bun on the top of his head. His accent made it obvious he was from the Core worlds, although his clothing was strangely made up of colourful pieces of fabric.

"Greetings", Neeka said politely.

"My name is Dekel, but you can call me Deke. So, how are you ?"

"Fine, thank you, and you ?" Neeka answered automatically.

That made Deke laugh. "I mean really, not just to be polite."

Neeka found himself smiling back. Deke sounded a little like one of the nicer Jedi Masters, with that playful expression and easygoing attitude. Actually he reminded him a little of Master Kenobi.

"I'm not sure what to expect", he admitted. "It's... a lot of changes."

"You bet ! But I hope you'll like it here. We do our best to make it like home for everyone, though it's not easy everyday."

Neeka bit his lip. He could imagine.

"So, there's only two of us and twenty of you, and you little guys do outnumber us, but please try not to take advantage." Deke was all mock seriousness and Neeka could not keep back a giggle. "So, in order to make this possible, there are a few groundrules that everyone has to follow." Deke waved a finger. "Yep, everyone, even me."

"Alright", Neeka said. "Do the rules say "no making fun of the newcomers" ?" he dared to joke. He had been raised to be more formal and polite than this, but Deke's open attitude had made him swallow back his instinctive "yes sir".

"Hum, let me think... nope, sorry, I don't think they do." Deke grinned. "Love a kid with a sense of humour. Anyway, here it is. First rule ; no violence of any kind. I know some of you guys have been in the middle of a war but here you're safe and if anything happens, you're expected to come to us."

"Understood", Neeka said. That sounded reasonable enough.

"Rule two, what we say is the word of God, or whatever deity, pantheon or spiritualism you happen to believe in. When we ask you to do something we expect you to do it."

"Hum, if I may ask, who's we ?"

Deke shrugged. "Basically, any adult. On the rare instances when we might leave you alone, we'll always name one of the older kids responsible for the group and in that case you'd have to do as that kid says."

"Hmm", Neeka said non-commitally. He did not like the idea of promising obedience when he had no idea who might be giving him orders, and under what circumstances.

"I'm serious", said Deke, who seemed to have caught on to his reluctance. "We're not gonna give you any stupid orders, don't worry. I'm talking about stuff like, going to bed on time."

"I understand", Neeka said, and it seemed to satisfy Deke although Neeka did not in fact promise anything.

"Great, let's move on to rule three ! Which is, follow the rules."

Neeka scratched his head. "Shouldn't that be rule one ?"

"You'd think so, eh ?" Deke grinned. "But no, they're ranked by priority. No violence is more important than follow the rules, if you have to chose. Which you won't."

"Okay", Neeka said. It was a vague enough answer. "What's rule four ?"

Deke shook his head. "Nope, that's it for the rules. Well, we do expect you to be generally polite and well-mannered, but that doesn't seem to be a problem with you. Now, here's the normal schedule ; in the morning you have to be up at eight. Breakfast is from eight thirty to nine thirty. After that, free time, but you have to spend it in this room."

Neeka looked down so Deke did not see his scowl. He could not even hide away in his room to wait out the time until they left for Alderaan.

"Hey, it's not that bad", Deke said softly. "We have to do that because as I already said, there's only two of us and twenty of you. We can't keep an eye on you if everyone is in a different place."

"Oh." It made sense. "I guess."

"Good. Then you have lunch from noon thirty to one thirty. You'll see, the food's quite okay. I don't know how but Director Andala found us a Calamaran chef. He does tend to cook a lot of seafood, but it never tastes bad."

Neeka smiled despite himself. Deke was an awfully nice person, he thought. At least he took time to explain the reasons behind the rules, and he was not patronizing or impatient about it.

"Looking forward to try it."

"That's the spirit ! So, after lunch you have some more free time, though we ask you older kids to be quiet because the little ones usually take their nap around that time, and I usually read them a story."

"Oh. Right."

"Four is snack time." Deke had a confidential grin. "My favourite time. And after that we organize softball matches so that you guys are tired enough in the evening and me and Elav can catch our breath. That's Elav'Amersu", Deke nodded in the direction of the red Twi'lek who watched the children.

The schedule was not altogether dissimilar to the discipline at the Jedi Temple and Neeka, who had more or less dreaded this moment, actually found himself slightly comforted by the perspective of a safe routine. Although he did not think he would ever feel completely safe again.

"Okay", Neeka repeated. It was not a very inspired answer but he did not really know what else to say.

"Then there's dinner between seven and eight, and after that some more free time but we ask you not to make too much noise because the young kids go to bed very early. We encourage you to read or play quiet board games during that time period."

"Okay." Neeka hesitated. "What about self study ?"

Deke stared at him like he had grown another head. "Self study ?"

"Well, Director Andala said there aren't enough people to program classes, but I thought..." Neeka trailed off when he saw Deke's incredulous look. "I thought we'd be given assignments or something like that", he finished weakly.

Deke shook his head. He looked like he was trying hard not to laugh. "First time I see a kid eager to study when he doesn't have to. But no, we just don't have the ressources to follow up on you individually, and this is all temporary anyway. If you feel like studying, by all means, we have a few datapads lying around for those who want to read or use the Holonet, but I gotta warn you there's a fierce competition for their use. We had to set up a list where you can register if you want to use one, and you can't have one for more than two hours in a row."

"Right", Neeka sighed. He liked to read and he had expected to fill up most of his time doing that, but it looked like it was not going to happen.

"And finally, bed time. We expect you to wash your hands and face and brush your teeth if that applies to your species, or whatever else needs to be done before going to sleep. Bed time depends on your age. From two to six it's at nine, from six to twelve it's at ten, and over twelve is at eleven. We drew up equivalent for non-humans."

"I understand", Neeka said, just not to repeat "okay" yet another time.

"I must warn you", Deke said, and his face grew uncharacteristically stern, "some of the kids have nightmares. Sometimes they wake up in the middle of the night. Sometimes they scream or cry. Sometimes they wet their bed. You're not allowed to make fun of them, in any way. We'll be very strict on this point. The little ones have a droid to keep an eye on them and wake me or Elav up if anything happens", he grimaced, "which usually happens a few time each night, but we don't have spare droids for the rest of you. If you're woken up by something like that and it looks bad, you're supposed to come to me or Elav. If it happens to you, you can come and see us. We won't turn you away."

Neeka's throat constricted and he felt unshed tears burning his eyes. He had had more than a few nightmares since he escaped the Temple, but he could not imagine himself confiding in Deke, despite his friendly attitude. He felt ashamed to think of all those who had died while he was running away to save his own life. He was ashamed to remember that he had been so scared for his own life that he had hardly spared a thought for the others until much later.

His throat burnt so he merely nodded, not trusting his own voice.

"Right", Deke said gently. "Speaking of which, we'll have to schedule appointments for you with the doctor and the psychologist."

Neeka made a face, and did not bother to hide it this time. It made Deke laugh.

"Hey, it won't hurt, the worst that can happen is that Panek decides you need a vaccine or two, but you're not scared of needles, are you ? Not after this", Deke nodded at Neeka's scars on his face from the close call he had had with a blaster bolt. It was all healed up now, but there would probably always be a scar. "How did you get this anyway ?"

Neeka looked away, his heart skipping a beat. The cover story Lady Organa had made him read did not include a story for that, and he had no idea how to explain himself without taking the risk to blow his cover. Maybe if he made up something vague enough...

But thankfully, he did not have to as Deke misinterpreted his hesitation and lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Sorry, shouldn't have asked. Come on, I'll introduce you to the other kids !"

Before Neeka had even time to brace himself Deke dragged him to the center of the room and called the other children loudly. "Everyone, gather round !"

They obeyed fairly quickly, leaving behind their games, though not everyone seemed very eager to meet the latest arrival. "Jod, that means you too !" Deke said in a no-nonsense voice.

With a heavy sigh, the Kaminoan complied and soon, all twenty children formed a circle around Deke. "So, kids, let's greet our newest addition, Kaylan Kadaris."

Neeka glanced at the twenty faces that stared back at him. He noticed one zabrak and two twi'lek twins, as well as a togrutan girl. A very young Devaronian was clinging to Elav's robes, and Neeka's heart beat faster. He knew Devaronians could feel the Force in others, regardless of their own sensitivity to it. That one looked barely old enough to know how to talk, but even so - one word could make the difference between Neeka's life or death. How far did a Devaronian's senses extend ? Neeka had no idea, but he edged away from the kid just in case.

"I expect you to be nice to him", Deke was going on, "and include him in your games. Kaylan, why don't you introduce yourself to your new mates ?"

Taken by surprise Neeka blinked at him. What ?

"You can start with how old you are, what planet you're from, what you like to do", Deke probed.

Neeka looked down. He did not really feel like sharing, especially since anything he could tell them was a lie anyway, so there was not much point in it. But the fastest way to escape it was to comply. He wanted to draw from the Force to calm himself, but he dared not with the Devaronian nearby.

"I'm twelve", he said. Soon to be thirteen. He should have been getting ready for a Master to pick him as a Padawan, not masquerading as a normal kid... "I'm from Ancella. And I like to read." One truth drowned in an ocean of lies.

"Good, good", Deke said brightly. "Now I'll let you guys get acquainted while I get the snacks ready. Whose turn is it to help set up the table ?"

One kid raised his hand and went off after Deke, leaving Neeka alone in the middle of twenty kids. He took a deep breath ; he had survived the clone commandos, so he could not be afraid of kids. Even though there had been only a handful of commandos, not twenty.

He need not have worried, though. Some of the kids began to drift away, simply ignoring him, and then the Zabrak threw him the softball he was holding. With his Jedi reflexes Neeka caught it easily, and he looked uncertainly at the Zabrak. He flashed him a grin.

"You know softball, Softskin ?"

Neeka grinned back, regaining some confidence. "Sure do, Thickskin." He threw the ball back with a little more strength than necessary, but the Zabrak caught it deftly.

"I'm Regon."

"Nice to - " Neeka caught the ball again. " - meet you." He threw it back to someone else and in a matter of minutes they set up a makeshift indoors softball field, although they did not have much time to play before Deke called them for snack time.


End file.
